


Queen of his People

by MusicPrincess655



Series: Royalty AU [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blood, Getting Together, M/M, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 40,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8906872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicPrincess655/pseuds/MusicPrincess655
Summary: Six years before Kageyama and Hinata found each other, Tendou Satori found his place among his chosen people. MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IS ONLY IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AND IS SKIPPABLE





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> FIRST CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH! However, it is skippable, and the end notes will contain a summary if you'd like to continue the story with no mcd. The rest of the chapters will not have mcd.

_Prologue_

“Keep the torches steady,” Moniwa commanded. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried over the bitter winter wind around them. Kenji resisted the urge to snark at his captain. It wasn’t like they were going to actually see anything up here, it didn’t matter if he kept the torch just so. Still, mouthing off could have some serious consequences beyond the Iron Wall, so he bit his tongue.

Kenji felt a nudge from his side. Takanobu had ridden his horse up close, giving him a silent look that communicated more than words ever could. _Listen to him_ , he seemed to say, _the captain has survived over thirty winters here_.

It was hard to argue with that. The old man knew what he was talking about, even if Kenji sometimes thought he was over cautious. The grey hairs that not many members of Datekou grew old enough to have were proof enough of that.

Kenji still couldn’t wait to get back behind the Iron Wall, where warm fires and furs were waiting for them. He wasn’t sure why the captain insisted on these patrols. The Iron Wall was practically impenetrable, and the only real threat to them was crippled for now.

“Captain, can we go back now?” he complained. “It’s cold, and we’re not going to find anything.”

“That kind of thinking will get us killed,” Moniwa chastised him. “That’s how Itachiyama was able to get so close in the war.”

“Itachiyama will be a threat again when they pull themselves together,” Kenji countered. “Their king is dead, their prince is maimed, and they lost bad three years ago. They haven’t had the time to build themselves up again. As long as we have the support of the southern kingdoms, they’re not getting past the Iron Wall.”

“Vigilance is the only way to stop that from happening again,” Moniwa argued. “We’re almost done with the patrol. Stop with your complaining.”

Kenji knew the soft spot the captain had for him was the reason he was getting away with a warning when others would have gotten worse. It was maybe the worst kept secret at Datekou that Kenji had been tapped as Moniwa’s successor, despite all the times Moniwa called him an insolent brat.

Takanobu nudged him again. Kenji rolled his eyes, but this time listened to the message his mate was sending him. _Stand down. The captain knows what he’s doing._

They rode in silence then, save for the wind whipping around them. It was all Kenji could do to keep his torch alive. It was even more frustrating when Kenji started to wonder what the _point_ of all this was. Here he was, freezing his ass off in the uncharted lands beyond the Iron Wall, looking for a threat that wasn’t coming. There was no way Itachiyama had pulled themselves together so soon after losing a war like that to Datekou and Shiratorizawa. It would be a miracle if they’d even managed to get their own kingdom under control.

“What’s that over there?” Moniwa asked, pointing. Through the wind that whipped some of the snow from the ground around them, Kenji could see the rising smoke that signaled a campfire.

“Probably just some northern peasants,” he said dismissively. “They’re not encroaching on our territory; they have every right to be here. Can we just finish this fool’s errand so I can get back to the wall, _please?_ ”

“If they really are northern peasants, they have every right to be here, but we have every right to talk to them,” Moniwa said. “You’re not going to freeze to death in one five minute conversation. You’re a good leader, but one thing I hope to teach you before you take over from me is patience. You’re always too eager to push ahead without taking the proper precautions. One day they’ll save your life, if you’ll just learn to slow down enough to listen to reason.”

“You owe me sour candies when we get back to the Wall and got delayed because you wanted to talk to some peasants,” Kenji grumbled. It actually startled a laugh out of Moniwa.

“Fine. If this all goes smoothly, I’ll find some way to get you your sour candies,” Moniwa agreed.

“Besides, I won’t be taking over for you for a long time,” Kenji continued. “You’re barely in your fifties, you still have a long life ahead of you as the captain of Datekou.”

“Never assume you have more time,” Moniwa warned. “Our lives are dangerous, even in these times of peace. You could be taking over for me a lot sooner than you think.”

“Not likely,” Kenji scoffed, but fell quiet again with the look Moniwa gave him. The beta wasn’t in the mood to continue this conversation, that was for sure, and even as an alpha Kenji had to respect him.

They were getting close enough to the campfire that Kenji could start to see the flickering against the trees. With any luck, Moniwa wouldn’t take too long chatting with these random peasants, and they could be on their way back to the Iron Wall and warmth. He’d even have some sour candies when he got there. It was a pleasant enough thought that he didn’t complain again as they entered the empty clearing.

And then all hell broke loose.

Soldiers descended on them from their unprotected back, and when Kenji tried to turn to face them, his horse reared in fear of the noise and fire. He fell with a shout, rolling to distribute the impact and reaching for his sword. He felt Takanobu at his side in an instant. In this, as always, they were partners.

Sakunami and Koganegawa were handling themselves just fine, so Kenji and Takanobu focused on the attackers closest to them. They were clad all in black, and Kenji couldn’t see a kingdom crest to identify them. They looked like clanless bandits, but they fought with a skill that was unusual in people untrained. They were kingdom soldiers, Kenji had seen enough street fighters to know the difference.

The members of the Datekou patrol were holding their own until the figure that seemed to be their leader descended in a whirlwind of sword and black. He went straight for Moniwa, knocking the sword out of the captain’s hands in a matter of seconds and hitting him in the face hard enough to turn him around and bring him to his knees.

Before he could stand again to defend himself, the attacker plunged his sword through Moniwa’s spine.

“ _Captain!_ ” Kenji screamed, trying to get to him, knowing it was already too late.

“Back!” the man commanded, ripping his sword from Moniwa’s back. The captain slumped forward, staining the snow around him red. His men retreated, leaving the remaining members of the Datekou patrol unharmed.

“What do you want?” Kenji demanded, raising his sword. There was no doubt that he was responsible for the patrol now. Koganegawa was the only other alpha, and he was young and untested. Sakunami and Takanobu were both omegas, and while both were fierce warriors, the burden of leadership fell to Kenji now.

“Bring a message back to Shiratorizawa,” the leader said. He lifted part of his helm, keeping the lower part of his face hidden. His eyes were dark and dead.

Kenji knew those eyes, but he’d never expected to see them again so soon.

“Sakusa,” he breathed. The prince of Itachiyama had exceeded his expectations in the worst way.

“Tell Wakatoshi that I’m coming,” Sakusa said. “Tell him I want my revenge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A Datekou patrol stumbles into an ambush by Itachiyama. Moniwa is killed by Sakusa, who sends a message to Ushijima that he wants his revenge.  
> I'm going to be updating weekly on Sundays. I'm really excited for this fic!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! I promise I will bring Ushijima and the rest of the swans into this soon.

Satori slouched farther into the tree he was leaning against, burying his nose deeper in the book he was reading. If his father could see him, he would say it was posture unbefitting of a noble. His father was miles away at their family estate, though.

He didn’t really want to think about his father, not when the warmth of the early summer sun shone down on him and he was so enraptured by the book he’d found in the library. It had been a lucky find, really. The book had been buried in some forgotten back corner, and had only caught Satori’s attention because of how much smaller it was than the ones around it.

It was good, one of the best he’d read in a while. The book was a collection of connected short stories that followed a knight as she traveled around a kingdom, fighting evil, saving innocent people, and slowly falling in love with a woman she kept encountering, despite the dangers she saw in forming permanent attachments.

It blended romance and action and chivalry and honor in a way that drew Satori in and wouldn’t let him go. So why would he think of his father when he could be reading this instead?

“Satori-san?” a small voice interrupted. Satori lifted his head to see big blue eyes. The younger prince of Seijoh, Kageyama Tobio, looked at him with interest. “What are you reading?”

Not too long ago, Tobio would have interrupted him with a shout, but Satori had finally taught the twelve year old that scaring people like that was rude and it was better to get their attention with a quiet voice. It had saved him several heart attacks where the young prince used to startle him.

“A story about a travelling hero,” Satori told him. “Or, well, a lot of stories, but they all belong to the same story.”

Tobio tilted his head.

“It’s a good story,” Satori promised him. “It’s got plenty of fights. You like those, right?”

Tobio’s blue eyes lit up. If there was one thing he understood, it was sword play.

“Do you want me to read you some?” Satori offered. Tobio nodded, sitting down and resting his head on Satori’s shoulder. Satori expected the restless young boy to get bored and leave after one story, but to his surprise, Tobio sat surprisingly still, the only movement he made shredding the grass in front of him.

Finally, Satori couldn’t take it anymore. Tobio wasn’t the kind to be quiet like this for so long.

“You got in another fight with your brother, didn’t you?” he asked, though it wasn’t really a question. Tobio nodded, leaving his head in place so his hair brushed Satori’s neck. “Did you actually do anything or was he being unreasonable again?”

“I don’t think I did anything wrong,” Tobio said quietly. He sounded too sad for a twelve year old. “I just wanted to train with Hajime, like I used to when we were little, and he just started yelling at me, and then Hajime started yelling at _him_ , so I just left.”

Satori stroked a hand through Tobio’s hair. Though he was only recently eighteen himself, he felt a strong motherly urge to protect the younger newly-presented omega. It wasn’t like Tobio had a mother to protect him anyway.

“Just for the record, I think Tooru was being unreasonable, but you do have to remember that you’re not his favorite person right now and he just mated with Hajime,” Satori said diplomatically. Navigating this divide between the princes had been nothing but exhausting and tricky.

“I don’t understand why he hates me so much,” Tobio said. “I never did anything to him.”

“You’re a threat to his throne, and he hates that,” Satori told him. “I’ll try to talk to him, though. You’re not some monster coming up behind him to take his place, you’re his brother.”

“Thanks, Satori-san,” Tobio replied. They sat in silence for a minute as Satori thought about his options. The older prince of Seijoh had been given a threat to the throne that should have been his by birthright. Satori felt for Tooru, he really did, but he thought Tooru was overreacting. First of all, it wasn’t an immediate problem. Tobio was only twelve and Tooru was nineteen, no one would put a twelve year old with no experience on the throne right now. And Tooru was starting to alienate people with his anger, which would only work against him if a choice happened when both princes were older.

Personally, Satori thought Tobio didn’t have a single interest in the throne and never would. He was a soldier. He already had a soldier’s eyes. If Tooru could ever pull his head out of his own ass he would see that his brother could grow into his strongest ally with the right kind of bridge building now.

This could all be resolved so much sooner if the king would make a formal statement on who would be the next in line, preferably in Tooru’s favor. Satori was frustrated that the king had been silent so long and let this get so bad. He knew the man was mourning the death of his second mate and it couldn’t be easy to lose two omegas in the span of less than a decade, but that didn’t mean he could just neglect all of his duties.

Maybe Hajime was the route Satori could take instead. He knew Tooru’s alpha and knight was trying to temper him into calming down about his brother, with limited success. Hajime had been friends with Tobio as children, and thought his mate was being ridiculous. However, he would support Tooru in his efforts to keep his throne. He was loyal like that. It was why Satori supported Tooru’s choice to mate with his knight, despite the fact that it hadn’t done him any favors with the court by taking him away as a potential bargaining chip for political marriage.

“Do you think you’ll be a hero like her someday?” Satori asked, trying to get Tobio’s mind off everything, if even for just a moment. “Ride around the country and save damsels in distress?”

“I’d rather fight bandits, but I’d like to be a hero like her,” Tobio said, already perking up. “She’s so brave, and she never runs from a fight. I want to be just like that!”

“Don’t you want an alpha like her, though?” Satori teased. Tobio wrinkled his nose. His status hadn’t exactly settled easily. With his physical prowess, everyone had assumed he would present as an alpha, but he’d just had his first heat. He should’ve been able to depend on his older omega brother to guide him through this confusing new time, but with all the trouble they’d had lately, he’d ended up latching onto Satori instead. Satori couldn’t say he was complaining. He was fond of both of the princes, even if he thought they were both being ridiculous, Tooru most of all.

“I don’t want to be trapped by an alpha,” Tobio said. “I want to be free to leave and fight whenever I want.”

“Do you think Tooru is trapped by Hajime?” Satori asked. Something about the way Tobio had said that made him think there was a deeper underlying fear there.

“No, but he wasn’t supposed to mate with Hajime, was he?” Tobio asked. Satori shrugged. “So either my father or he will give me away to some foreign alpha or beta, won’t they?”

“They won’t force you with someone you hate, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” Satori assured him.

“But if they really want an alliance, they might do it anyway,” Tobio worried. “And I don’t want to just be someone’s omega. I still want to be me. I want to go where I want, when I want, and fight when I want. I just wish I could be single for the rest of my life.”

“You might change your mind about that someday, but you don’t have to worry about it for now,” Satori laughed. “You’re only twelve, they’re not going to marry you off for a long time, if they ever do.”

“Seijoh is the only kingdom that lets omegas fight in the army,” Tobio said. “I don’t want to go somewhere else where I’d have to be cooped up in a castle all the time. So I want to stay in Seijoh. Or I guess Datekou lets omegas fight too.”

“Don’t go off joining Datekou just because you’re scared of maybe someday getting married off,” Satori warned. “The Iron Wall isn’t an easy choice, and it’s a permanent reaction to a problem that might have more than one solution.”

“It doesn’t sound so bad,” Tobio argued. “It’s a life of being a soldier, and you never have to mate if you don’t want to. You can’t even mate with someone who’s not also in Datekou.”

“It’s a hard life, and the people there make the choice to join because they believe in the cause, not because they’re avoiding some other problem,” Satori told him. “You’re still young. You can still be a child. Don’t try to be an adult so early. Growing up is the worst.”

Tobio didn’t look convinced, but he let the matter drop. Great. Now Satori had to keep one of his favorite people from disappearing to the north to join Datekou in manning the Iron Wall to defend the southern kingdoms from the northern kingdoms.

“Will you read me another story?” Tobio asked. Satori nodded and opened his book again. It was the least he could do, he figured. Tobio deserved any motherly love Satori could throw his way, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love mom Tendou. So much.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm holding out hope that next year is better than this one (and preparing to curb stomp 2017 if it tries any shit on me). But for now, it's finally time to introduce Ushijima.

“Tooru, you’ll be on your best behavior, won’t you?” his father pleaded. Tooru lounged in the chair that had been set up next to his father’s throne for him to observe his father taking in visiting dignitaries.

“Of course,” Tooru said, with his brightest smile in place. His father looked like he didn’t believe him, but settled anyway.

Today, they would be receiving guests from Shiratorizawa, the crown prince and his entourage. Tooru wasn’t particularly interested in talking to any of them, especially since he had a pretty good idea what Ushijima was coming for, but he had to play nice for his father and the rest of the court. They’d take any excuse to kick him out now.

“Announcing the crown prince of Shiratorizawa, Ushijima Wakatoshi,” a page cried, and Tooru straightened in his seat under the glare his father sent him. Next to him, Hajime stood at attention, carefully looking for any approaching threat. As annoyed as Tooru was with having to sit in for this, it was comforting to have his mate close by. Even if everyone else abandoned him, Hajime would stand by his side.

Tooru had to admit – _begrudgingly_ – that Ushijima Wakatoshi cut an impressive figure. He was the picture of what a crown prince should be: a tall, imposing alpha that radiated strength even with a neutral expression. Tooru was far from helpless – he’d been trained to defend himself – but he knew Ushijima could beat him easily in a direct fight.

Still, Tooru could probably talk circles around this other prince. His eyes were entirely too straightforward for him to be all that good at playing the game. He was lucky he looked too intimidating for most opponents to even bother trying to best him.

Ushijima inclined his head respectfully to the king, acknowledging one of higher rank than him, while the beta and alpha with him sank to their knees.

“Rise,” the king said. “What brings the crown prince of Shiratorizawa to Seijoh?”

“An offer,” Ushijima said simply once he and his guards had risen. “An alliance sealed with a marriage. My parents offer my hand in marriage to your crown prince and our military support for access to your resources.”

“A tempting offer, but I’m afraid to inform you that my son is already mated,” the king sighed. Ushijima didn’t change expressions, but the eyes of the alpha guard widened. Tooru allowed himself a small smile. It had taken some convincing to get Hajime to mate him – he’d wanted to wait until they were older – but Tooru was glad he’d put in the effort. He’d never have been able to outright refuse this offer if he’d still been unmated.

“Don’t you have another son?” the copper-haired beta asked.

“Yes, recently presented as an omega,” the king answered, sounding strained. Tooru tried not to look too pleased. It certainly would tie up all his problems nicely if Tobio-chan was married off to Ushijima. He’d go off to Shiratorizawa and forfeit his right to the throne, and he’d be too far away to cause Tooru any more trouble.

He felt a pinch to the back of his arm. Without even looking up, he knew it was Hajime with his uncanny ability to read Tooru’s mind. They’d been together since birth, and with the addition of a mating bond, Hajime was preternaturally attuned to what Tooru was thinking.

Even Tooru had to recognize that he was being unfair. Yes, marrying Tobio off would solve his problems, but Tobio was a child. In spite of everything, Tooru wasn’t horrible enough to send an omega fresh off his first heat to mate an alpha twice his age. He was maybe horrible enough to wish he was uncaring enough to let that happen, but not enough to actually do it.

“…a compromise?” the king said, and Tooru tuned back in. Ushijima still hadn’t changed expressions once since entering the room, but his alpha guard more than made up for it with his poorly schooled featured moving under his black bowl cut. The copper haired beta just looked intrigued. Of the three, Tooru identified him as the biggest threat. “You can have your pick of any of our nobles that you desire, although I do ask for their consent. I can’t imagine any of them would refuse.”

“You suggest our prince marry below his station?” the beta asked. His tone was completely neutral, polite in the extreme, and yet his words made the rudeness of the king’s suggestion evident. Tooru was sure now: this beta was the most dangerous of the trio. He also had to give some begrudging respect to this guard. It wasn’t many who could keep a calm enough head to directly contradict a king like that. Most likely, it was why he’d been chosen to accompany Ushijima on this.

“We’d be willing to offer a larger share of our resources, as well as free passage through Seijoh for any citizen of Shiratorizawa,” the king offered hurriedly. “And of course, any dowry offered by your chosen noble’s family would be yours to keep. I won’t ask for any as tribute.”

Tooru idly wondered if his staunch defense of Tobio was just because of his brother’s age or if it was favoritism. Either way, it was clear that neither prince of Seijoh would be married off to Shiratorizawa.

“It seems like a fair offer,” Ushijima said, before his beta guard could speak again. “If we could, I’d like to renegotiate after I find a suitable candidate.”

“That’s fair,” the king conceded. “You and your guards are welcome to stay as long as you wish, as my guests.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Ushijima nodded. The king directed a page to guide them to rooms they could use for their stay. Tooru sank back. That had gone…better than he’d expected, if he was being honest. It had ended amicably, with the potential for an alliance in place, provided Ushijima could find a noble here in Seijoh to his tastes.

“He’d probably just pick the first one who’ll have him,” Tooru muttered to Hajime. Hajime spared him a sideways glare. “What? It’s true. He’s not here for feelings. He’s here because his parents sent him here. He’ll take any mate he can get.”

“That’s because that’s how royalty works, Tooru,” his father sighed. “You marry someone who benefits your kingdom. If you’d been available, this alliance would be much more beneficial to us. Now, though, we might end up paying more for this alliance than is good for us.”

“So don’t agree to it,” Tooru said breezily. “We don’t need them.”

“We might,” his father snapped, and Tooru dropped his airy act. His father was actually mad. “It’s no secret that our army isn’t the strongest in the kingdoms, and Karasuno is rising again. It certainly wouldn’t hurt us to have Shiratorizawa’s support, and they’ll be aiming for as many of our resources as they can with winter coming. I hear they’re predicting it to be one of the hardest in decades. We might even feel the effects down here in the south. I don’t want Seijoh to be at a disadvantage for a hard winter or for a potential war.”

Tooru nodded his head, cowed. He knew he’d have to sacrifice a lot to mate with Hajime, and he thought he’d understood the cost when he’d made the decision. He didn’t regret his decision now, and he never would, but he was just starting to feel repercussions he hadn’t expected.

There had been whispers for years that Tobio, as the son of the king’s most recent mate, had a more direct claim to the throne. It didn’t help Tooru that Tobio’s mother, Misaki, had been a cousin of the royal family, while his own mother, Hana, had been lowborn. Still, they had been nothing but whispers until very recently.

Maybe it was Tobio presenting, maybe it was Tooru mating with Hajime without any kind of approval, or maybe it was everything falling into place, but the whispers had turned into shouts, and Tooru now had a real fear of losing his throne that he’d been sure of since birth. The brother he’d once been close with was an enemy now, whether he knew it or not, and Tooru had been doing his best to distance himself. Closeness would only make things harder, cloud his judgement, and he had to tread on a path as thin as the blade of a knife to keep at the top.

Hajime pinched him again, but Tooru ignored his mate this time. He wasn’t sure who Ushijima was going to pick, but he was grateful he was already safely mated. He and Ushijima would’ve been a terrible match. Ushijima seemed the kind to follow orders to a fault, and Tooru would bend the rules as necessary to win the game of thrones. They never would have worked as a couple.

“You’re thinking something shitty,” Hajime muttered, too low for anyone but Tooru to hear.

“Rude!” Tooru whispered back.

“It’s true.”

Tooru stayed silent. Hajime wasn’t _wrong_ , he rarely was, but Tooru still didn’t want to admit that.

“You owe Tobio an apology,” Hajime told him. Tooru snorted. “I wasn’t kidding. You yelled at him and you scared him. He’s still trying to figure out how to deal with being an omega and he just wanted to do something that was familiar. Of course he came looking for us.”

“We’re not children anymore.”

“He is,” Hajime countered. “He’s not a monster. He’s twelve years old and he’s your brother and he loves you. Maybe if you’d just talk to him, you’d realize that.”

“He’s my enemy for the throne, brother or not,” Tooru argued. “Talking to him won’t change that.”

“If you two are quite finished,” the king interrupted. Tooru whipped his head up. He and Hajime had carried their whispered conversation for far longer than was appropriate. “You’d best hope Ushijima finds a noble here that he likes, and that he’s generous with how much he asks in return for marrying below his station.”

“He’ll find someone he likes better than me. I can guarantee that,” Tooru assured him.

“For your sake, I hope so.”

The conversation was over, that much was clear. Tooru stood up to leave. He’d had quite enough of guests for one day. Hajime followed him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus Kawashiki. Next time: Ushijima stumbles across Tendou


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tendou and Ushijima meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting my main pairing together. Huzzah. Time to get gay

Satori sighed. He was once again hiding in the gardens, back against a tree and book in his hands. The faint smell of jasmine surrounded him.

The days were starting to blur together, as summer days often do. It was kind of boring, although Satori couldn’t call it unpleasant. He’d already been eighteen for almost two months, but he’d barely noticed the time passing.

He was still reading the stories about the traveling knight. He’d at least skimmed all of them, but it had been a while since he’d liked a book this much, so he was rereading his favorite parts. It wasn’t helping to distinguish the days at all, but for now he was content.

A shift in scent made him pull his nose out of the book with a start. An alpha was watching him from the gravel path, expression placid and just the slightest bit curious.

He was _gorgeous_. From his strong jawline to his golden brown eyes to his height, he was striking. Even his scent, like a fire made from a specific kind of wood – though Satori couldn’t place exactly what kind – was attractive.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” the alpha said, nodding politely.

“You didn’t interrupt much,” Satori replied. “You’re welcome to join me, if you’d like.”

He said it mostly in teasing. The general population of the castle was more than happy to leave him well enough alone, and while it sometimes got lonely, he preferred that to the alternative. If he really needed companionship, both of the princes were always more than happy to spend some time with him.

“Thank you,” the stranger said, to Satori’s surprise. “I’ve been walking for quite some time. Resting would be nice.”

He settled down in front of Satori, leaning back on his hands. Up close, Satori could see that, though his face was on the blank side, it wasn’t unkind.

“You’ve been wandering the gardens for a while?” Satori asked, trying to break the ice. He wasn’t entirely sure how to react to the attractive stranger who’d joined him.

“Yes. They’re quite the maze, aren’t they?” he commented, looking around.

“You’re not from here, are you?” Satori asked, stifling a laugh. The paths were reasonably straightforward if you just stuck to them. They would lead you out and back to the castle in an hour at most. Then again, Satori had lived in the castle since he was young. He was used to them.

The stranger shook his head.

“What are you reading?” he asked. Satori lit up at once.

“It’s actually really good!” he gushed. “See, it’s about this female alpha knight, and she travels all over this fictional kingdom fighting against a corrupt king and helping people she comes across. She’s incredibly brave and she never runs from a fight and she defends people too weak to defend themselves, and…” he trailed off. “You don’t actually want to listen to me ramble about this.”

“No, go on,” the stranger said, holding up his hands. Satori looked suspiciously into his face, but couldn’t see any hint of a joke. Instead, the stranger was leaning forward, eyes intent on Satori’s. “How does she fight the corrupt king?”

“Any way she can,” Satori went on, slowly but picking up steam. “Sometimes she roughs up his knights, although she never kills if she can help it. Usually she just tries to disrupt his supply lines or save people he’s unfairly ordered to be executed. She’s smart about how she attacks, and she’s sneaky too, so she can raid supply trains in the night and get away without fighting at all.

“And she keeps running into this omega rebel, and at first the knight wants the rebel to go away, because she’s worried the rebel will get hurt or she’ll get in the way. But the rebel keeps showing up again and again, in different places, because she’s fighting for the same thing the knight is fighting for, and even though the knight is scared of forming attachments because she’s been hurt in the past, she starts to fall in love with this rebel.”

“You like a story about an alpha knight fighting against a corrupt king?” the stranger asked. Satori nodded. “The king is the bad guy?”

“It’s just a story,” Satori shrugged. “She’s the hero. Someone has to be the villain.”

“Indeed,” the stranger agreed. “Does the hero ever mate the omega rebel?”

“It’s never stated in the stories,” Satori said. “They sort of become partners in the later ones. The rebel starts to travel with the knight and help her take out more of the corrupt king’s supports. They don’t succeed by the end of this book. I think the message is supposed to be that even if it takes a long time and the going is tough, you still have to fight for what you believe in.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” the stranger said, though he looked impressed. “Will you read some to me?”

“What?”

“Will you read some? Your voice is nice, and I like the sound of this story. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, though.”

“No, no, I’ll read,” Satori said hastily. “I’m just not used to strangers wanting to hang around with me for long. Usually I scare people off by now.”

“How?” the stranger asked.

“Oh, everyone thinks I talk too much,” Satori waved his hand around airily. “Anyways, let me read from the beginning.”

He flipped the book back to the first page, clearing his throat.

“ _These tales, as many tales like them do, take place a long time ago in a kingdom nearly forgotten from memory_ ,” Satori began, throwing his voice dramatically and bringing a smile to the stranger’s face. “ _Herein are recorded the adventures of Shinobu, knight of the people, and Yumiko, rebel for a cause._

“ _Shinobu had traveled far to come to this town’s aid, and was frustrated to learn that there was no room at the local inn. ‘Do you have nowhere I can spend the night?’ she asked. ‘Even just a small place? I don’t need much.’_ ”

“What are you doing?” the stranger interrupted. Satori looked up. “With your voice?”

“I’m doing Shinobu’s voice, of course,” Satori said. Wasn’t it obvious? “The story is more fun with voices.”

“That’s not how she should sound at all,” the stranger said.

“Oh really?” Satori tried to look offended, but he was really just amused. “How should she sound, then?”

“Something like, _I don’t need much_ ,” the stranger said, dropping his voice into something more commanding. Satori couldn’t help his laughter. The other man just looked so serious.

“That’s way too low,” Satori argued through his giggles. “She’s still a woman, after all.”

“Fine. Then something like _I don’t need much_.” The stranger kept the authoritative tone, but hiked his voice up an octave. It cracked on the last syllable. Satori burst into laughter so hard that he was rolling to the ground, clutching at his sides. The stranger didn’t start laughing, but he did start smiling, and that just made him even more beautiful. He had a dimple, and Satori wanted to poke it.

“Do you want me to finish the story or not?” Satori asked once he got his laughter under control.

“Finish it. Please. I’ll be quiet,” the stranger promised. Satori gave him a hard look before returning to his book.

“ _’I’m afraid I just don’t have anything to offer you,” the innkeeper told Shinobu. ‘All my rooms are full.’ Shinobu turned, prepared to spend a cold night on the ground, when a voice stopped her._

_‘Aren’t you Shinobu, the one they call knight of the people?’ Shinobu turned to see a pretty omega leaning against the counter._

_‘That is my name, although if that is my title, it is news to me,’ Shinobu replied._

_‘She’s welcome to spend the night with me, father,’ the omega said. She turned back to Shinobu. ‘My name is Yumiko. It’s an honor to have you here.’_ ”

Satori looked up then. He’d been doing his best to imitate the stranger’s voice for Shinobu, with limited success.

“No complaints about my Yumiko voice?” he teased.

“No. You have her perfectly,” the stranger told him. “Higher, defiant, and strong. Just what a rebel woman should sound like.”

“Because you know so much about rebels,” Satori snorted, but he returned to the story.

He told this stranger the story of how Shinobu and Yumiko worked together to free the town from the oppression of the king’s knights, using Shinobu’s skills and Yumiko’s knowledge of the town’s layout to their advantage. Once the knights were appropriately defeated and the town was free, the people rejoiced and offered Shinobu a place to stay should she ever need one.

Yumiko had a request for the wandering knight. She wanted to travel with Shinobu and help her fight against the king. Shinobu denied that request, for ‘ _I walk alone._ ’

“First story, end,” Satori said, looking up at his guest for a reaction. The strange alpha still had a blank face on, but he seemed content enough. It had been a while since Satori had had this much fun reading.

“What happens next?” the stranger asked.

“Oh, Shinobu goes off on her adventures, fighting for justice, saving those who need her,” Satori told him. “She keeps running into Yumiko, though. Just because Yumiko doesn’t have a famous alpha knight to travel with doesn’t mean she’s not going to fight back for something she believes in. She knows how to use a bow and arrow. She’s not going to be stuck sitting on the sidelines.”

“She’s a remarkable omega indeed.”

“That’s why I like her,” Satori admitted. “She forces Shinobu to acknowledge her through skill and determination. She even manages to break down Shinobu’s walls and become her partner.”

“She’s just as interesting as Shinobu,” the stranger said. The tolling of the evening bell broke the soft space that had formed around the two of them. The stranger looked up to see that the sun was already setting. “Is it that late already?”

“Do you have to go?” Satori asked. He was kind of sad to see the stranger go. It was the first day in a long string of days that had been different, that had been interesting. This stranger was interesting.

“I’m afraid my people will be looking for me,” the stranger said, though he looked no happier about the whole ordeal. He stood up, turning to look at the path, then turning back to Satori. “How do I get back to the castle from here?”

“Follow that path straight,” Satori told him. “Don’t turn off it at all. It’ll take you right back to the front.”

“Thank you,” the stranger said. “I hope to see you again before I leave.”

“The same to you.” Satori was about to return to his book, when the stranger called him again.

“I almost forgot,” he said. “I never got your name.”

Satori grinned.

“Just call me Satori,” he said. “Pretty much everyone does.”

The stranger looked taken aback, although he recovered quickly.

“You may call me Wakatoshi, then,” he said. “Where can I find you?”

“Usually somewhere around here, if it’s daytime,” Satori said. “I like to sit in the sun while I can. Other than that, you can try the library, and if all else fails, just ask around. I’m not hard to miss.”

“No, your hair is very bright,” Wakatoshi commented. Satori wasn’t sure if it was meant as an insult, a compliment, or an observation. “Very well. I will see you soon, Satori.”

“Have fun with your people, Wakatoshi,” Satori waved. He settled back down as Wakatoshi walked out of sight. He hoped the alpha wasn’t lying when he said he would find Satori again. He’d been fun to talk to for an afternoon. He probably wouldn’t be staying at the castle long – most visiting nobles only stayed for a few days to a month at most – but Satori would try to enjoy it while he could. Maybe they could write to each other.

Yes, Satori wasn’t entirely sure what to make of Wakatoshi, but he did know he was intrigued by the beautiful alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Ushijima courting featuring extra Kawashiki


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima learns more about Tendou

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to (sort of) begin the courtship. Also, please note the Kawashiki and also ship them with me. Please.

“So, Ushijima-sama, any good potential mates?” Kawanishi asked, tipping his chair back on two legs. He was lazy where his mate was eager, standing at attention by the door, but Wakatoshi hadn’t brought him for his fighting skill.

“Maybe,” Wakatoshi replied. “Some of the nobles seem nice. They could probably do well enough.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kawanishi sighed. “Ushijima-sama, you know you don’t have to pick a mate here, right? We can negotiate around the treaty, that’s why I’m here. You don’t have to tie yourself to someone you don’t want.”

“That’ll be harder on you, won’t it?” Wakatoshi asked. “And we need as much from Seijoh as we can get. This winter is going to be hard, and we’ll need the extra food and other supplies. Besides, my mother expects me to bring back Shiratorizawa’s next queen so she can start training them. She expects me to take the throne soon and she wants the next queen ready to take power with me when that happens.”

“The entire reason I’m here is because I can talk circles around them if I need to,” Kawanishi protested. “You don’t have to put your duty above everything else.”

“Ushijima-sama,” Goshiki broke in from his post near the door. “Listen to him. Don’t mate someone just because you feel like you have to. Make sure you like them first.”

Wakatoshi looked at the two guard he’d brought with him. They’d mated each other out of love a few years ago and never looked back. He could appreciate that they wanted the same for him, even if it might not be an option. He was a crown prince, after all. His first duty would always be to his people, before himself.

“I’m not going to just pick someone because I have to,” he assured them. “I met someone yesterday. He…intrigues me. He’s more interesting than anyone else I’ve talked to here.”

“That’s a good start,” Kawanishi nodded approvingly. “What family is he from?”

“I don’t know,” Wakatoshi admitted. “We only exchanged first names. Maybe I could ask Oikawa about him?”

“That’s an idea,” Kawanishi agreed. “You think he could really work as a mate?”

“Maybe,” Wakatoshi said. “He’s…not what I would’ve expected of an omega, but not in a bad way. He’s even bolder than most of the other people I’ve talked to here, and Seijoh omegas are known for their pride. He’s not who my mother probably expects me to bring home, and she probably wouldn’t like him, but…I think I like him.”

“You’re smitten!” Goshiki gasped, looking pleased. “I’ve never seen you look like that. You were always too married to your job. But you’re smitten!”

It was a fair theory. Satori was the only person Wakatoshi had had fun talking to so far here.

Kawanishi and Goshiki followed him as he made his way over to the prince’s rooms. A knight was just exiting, one Wakatoshi recognized from the throne room a few days ago. He whipped his head up to look at the approaching three, eyes narrowing.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I’m here to talk to Oikawa,” Wakatoshi told him. He tensed. “I have a few questions for him.”

The knight sighed.

“No offense meant, but he probably doesn’t want to talk to you,” he said. “He’s…in a mood, and I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but you being here has caused some problems for him.”

“How?”

“Politics. It’s not important,” the knight said. “I’m his mate, Iwaizumi Hajime. Maybe I can help you?”

“I wanted to ask about someone I met yesterday,” Wakatoshi said. “His given name is Satori, and he has long red hair.”

“Tendou Satori?” Iwaizumi asked. “You met him yesterday? He’s not usually the kind to go looking for new people.”

“I found him reading in the gardens and he let me join him,” Wakatoshi explained. Iwaizumi’s face softened.

“That sounds more like Satori,” Iwaizumi said. “He can be a little strange, and shy around new people, so most of the castle leaves him be. He’s plenty nice, though.”

“He’s a friend of yours?” Kawanishi asked.

“Yeah, he’s lived here in the castle since he was eight, and since he’s the same age as Tooru and me, we all became friends,” Iwaizumi told them.

“Why has he always lived here?” Goshiki asked, innocent curiosity peeking its head up. “Do his parents live here too?”

Iwaizumi’s face hardened again.

“He actually lives here to keep away from his parents, especially his father.”

“Why?”

“That’s his story to tell, not mine,” Iwaizumi said. “Ask him, but be nice about it. He might not want to tell you.”

“He might be hard to court if his parents are so far out of the picture,” Kawanishi murmured, but Iwaizumi picked up on it.

“You’re interested in courting him?” he asked. He looked surprised.

“Yes,” Wakatoshi said simply, and actually got Iwaizumi to crack a smile.

“That’s good,” he said. “He usually gets ignored by suitors, and even though he’s a little shy I know it still bothers him. You want my advice?”

Wakatoshi nodded.

“Court him like he’s a maiden in an old fairy tale,” Iwaizumi went on.

“But he’s a man,” Wakatoshi said, furrowing his brow. “I don’t want to insult him by treating him like a woman.”

“No, what I mean is, be romantic,” Iwaizumi went on hastily. “He loves fairy tales and heroic stories, and he’d love for a prince to come and sweep him off his feet. So yeah, don’t treat him like a woman, but he’d definitely love it if you brought him flowers and stuff like that. Oh, and he likes chocolate ice cream.”

“Thank you,” Wakatoshi bowed his head. “How do I go about contacting his family? I understand it’s rude to start a courtship here without a family’s permission.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Iwaizumi said. “He’s basically a ward of the king at this point, and the king has given you permission to court anyone here as long as they’re willing. If you two like each other and Satori accepts your courtship, the king can give him away to you.”

Wakatoshi nodded, thanking Iwaizumi and walking away.

“One more thing,” Iwaizumi called after them. Wakatoshi looked back over his shoulder. “If I ever hear about you or your people calling him the bastard of Rowanwood, you’ll answer to me, prince or not.”

“Why would I call him that?” Wakatoshi asked. It seemed like the worst kind of insult to hurl at someone he would be trying very hard not to insult.

“That’s also his story to tell,” Iwaizumi said. “But some people around here call him that, and I won’t allow it from you or your people. Treat him right. He deserves it.”

“He does,” Wakatoshi agreed, making his leave. Somehow, he had more questions about Satori now than he’d had before talking to Iwaizumi, but that didn’t really bother him. Everyone else here had had all their intentions obvious. There was nothing for him to discover, not like there was with Satori.

Satori was like no one he’d ever met before, long hair as red as a siren and nearly as tall as Wakatoshi himself, bold and brash and full of laughter, and he even smelled faintly of chocolate. Sure, he was unusual, but if Wakatoshi wanted someone normal, he never would have talked to Satori in the first place.

Court him like a hero in an old fairy tale would? Wakatoshi could probably manage that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Ushijima steps up his game


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The courting begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I hear about [ pkmnshippings ](http://pkmnshippings.tumblr.com/) has has a rough day this fic gets 5% gayer than intended. Good luck on exams babe.

Satori tilted his head back, letting the sun wash over his face. It was starting to get almost unbearably hot, but he wanted to take the time outside before he was forced to hide from the heat inside. The direct sunlight would probably cover him in freckles, if it didn’t burn him first, but he’d retreat to the shade soon enough.

“Hello, Satori.” He looked up to see Wakatoshi in front of him, holding white flowers in his hands. “May I join you again?”

Satori gestured for him to sit, and Wakatoshi sat cross legged in front of him like he had a few days ago. He had to admit, he hadn’t been sure the other man would seek him out again, and he was trying to keep a handle on his excitement. Usually the princes and Hajime were the only ones who actively sought out his company.

“Your hair looks pretty like that,” Wakatoshi complimented him, and Satori felt the blush rise in his cheeks. “How did you braid it yourself?”

“Oh, I didn’t do this,” Satori told him, waving his hand and hoping it distracted from his face. “Tobio was here earlier, and if he doesn’t have something to do with his hands, he has a hard time sitting still. This just gave him something to do.”

“Tobio,” Wakatoshi repeated. “That is Kageyama Tobio, the younger prince, is it not?”

“Yep!” Satori confirmed. “He’s a good kid, but he’s young and he’s got too much energy. I told him if he wanted to sit with me he had to stop fidgeting, so I let him braid my hair so he would sit still.”

“It looks good,” Wakatoshi said.

“You seem to have the same problem,” Satori teased. Wakatoshi froze, smile spreading on his face, bringing out that dimple that Satori still wanted to poke.

“Caught me,” he said. He let his hands go back to playing with the flowers in his lap. “These are for you, actually. They’re just not finished yet.”

“For me?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you bringing me flowers?”

“Because I want to.”

Satori tried to calm his fluttering heart. He didn’t know if Wakatoshi meant what he was implying, but he couldn’t let his imagination run away with him. Instead, he watched for a few minutes as Wakatoshi wove the daisies together, fingers surprisingly nimble for how strong they looked.

“May I?” Wakatoshi asked, leaning forward. Satori nodded, unsure of what he was agreeing to, but thinking that whatever it was, he’d probably agree regardless. Wakatoshi tested the daisy chain around his head, nodding in satisfaction at the fit, before pulling back to weave the ends together.

Satori sit still as Wakatoshi rested the flower crown on his head. Wakatoshi considered him seriously for a moment, before smiling again.

“Pretty,” he said, and Satori blushed. “I’ve never seen hair your color. No one else here has hair like yours. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s unusual, isn’t it?” Satori laughed nervously. Wakatoshi didn’t seem to notice.

“How is it so bright?” he asked. Satori considered him carefully. He looked earnest enough, and not at all like he was making fun of Satori. There was every chance he really didn’t know.

“My mother had an affair with someone from Karasuno,” he said bluntly. Wakatoshi looked appropriately abashed, and opened his mouth, most likely to apologize. “No, it’s fine. Everyone else here already knows, it’s not like it’s some huge secret.”

At least he was assured that Wakatoshi really hadn’t known, because he looked guilty for having asked. He took a breath and went on.

“I don’t know who she had the affair with, and I don’t really care to know. Whoever it was hasn’t done anything for either of us since, so as far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t matter. But now I have red hair. Apparently it’s pretty common over there.”

“That’s why you live in the castle?” Wakatoshi asked. Satori nodded.

“As you might imagine, my father isn’t the biggest fan of me,” he said. “My mother loves me, but it’s kind of hard to do that and deal with my father at the same time. My father took me here when I was eight, maybe trying to marry me off as soon as possible or at least get the palace to take me on as a page, but I met the prince and his…well, Hajime was just his best friend at that point. They were a little older than me, but they were nice enough. Since we were friends, the king let me stay.”

“Doesn’t that get lonely?” Wakatoshi asked.

“Maybe sometimes,” Satori admitted. “Tooru is usually too busy learning how to run the kingdom, and since Hajime is his knight, they’re always together. Tobio has gotten a lot more fun, he was only a baby when I came here, but he’s always running around and he’s still just a kid. But they’re all my friends.”

“I’m sorry,” Wakatoshi said simply. Satori looked at him. He didn’t look like he had pity in his eyes, which was nice. Satori didn’t want to be pitied. He didn’t pity himself. He liked his life well enough, and he didn’t regret living in the castle. He was happy here, even if he was lonely sometimes. “You didn’t deserve to have all that happen to you. And I’m sorry for asking.”

“Like I said, pretty much everyone here knows,” Satori shrugged. “You’re not bothering me by asking. It’s not like I’m upset about it or anything. I like it better here than I did at home.”

“Where is home?”

“My family has an estate about ten miles south of here,” Satori told him. “It’s called Rowanwood. That’s where my mother and father are now. I haven’t been back in years. It’s nicer here at the castle. More space outside.”

“Rowanwood?” Wakatoshi asked, a spark of recognition in his eyes.

“You know of Rowanwood?” It was such a small estate, it was bizarre to think Wakatoshi would know it by name.

“Iwaizumi mentioned it to me yesterday,” Wakatoshi said. “Specifically, he mentioned that if I ever called you a name with Rowanwood, he would deal with me himself.”

“The bastard of Rowanwood?” Satori asked. Wakatoshi shifted uncomfortably.

“I would never call you that,” he promised. “That would be rude.”

“Hajime is as protective as ever,” Satori smiled.

“You’re good friends,” Wakatoshi noted. Satori nodded.

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” he said. “Turns out, the three people Hajime is close to are all omegas. Well, besides his sister Maiya, but she’s older, so he doesn’t hang out with her as much as he does with us. It’s no wonder he grew up protective of all of us. He’s worrying for nothing, though. No one’s called me that in years. It’s not really how the people here see me anymore. I’m just the strange boy who’s friends with the princes and likes to keep to himself. I’m just Satori.”

They sat quietly for a moment. It was uncomfortable, and that was maybe the best thing about it. Satori wasn’t used to being around people who were content to sit in silence. It was part of the reason he kept to himself so much. Most of the people around the castle felt the need to talk if he was in the same room as them, and sometimes he just wanted to be quiet.

“Hey, do you want to see something cool?” he asked, breaking the silence. Wakatoshi started, but nodded. Satori stood up to lead him deeper into the gardens. He’d spent so long wandering that he could probably find his way around blindfolded, but he went slowly to make sure Wakatoshi could keep up.

“Where are we going?” Wakatoshi asked.

“To see something most people don’t get to see,” Satori told him. “No one bothers to leave the paths. It’s a shame really, the best stuff is off the path.”

He knelt down, pulling up the bottom of a hedge. Wakatoshi crouched next to him.

“It’s through here,” Satori explained. “You have to kind of scoot under the branches.”

Wakatoshi gave him a suspicious look, but obligingly scooted his way under. Satori followed when the sounds of shuffling stopped, and was greeted with the sight of Wakatoshi staring around in awe.

They were in the middle of a meadow, with the sounds of a brook babbling nearby. Wildflowers were scattered all around, and the trees cast it in shade with breaks of sunlight piercing through here and there.

“What is this place?” Wakatoshi asked.

“It doesn’t really have a name,” Satori admitted. “The head gardener here is named Hanamaki, and I’m pretty good friends with him. At least, he’s willing to talk to me if he’s not busy. This place used to be better groomed, but it’s a lot of work for him and his people, and no one but me really comes here anyways. He lets the hedges around here grow, since there’s no real point in trimming them if no one’s here to see them. Tooru, Hajime, and Tobio all know about it, but they mostly leave it to me.”

“It’s so peaceful,” Wakatoshi sighed, running his hands through a patch of sunlight. It dappled golden across his skin. He turned to face Satori, mouth pulling down in a frown. “Your flowers got snagged.”

Oh. Satori hadn’t been paying the crown much attention, but it had gotten skewed when he’d crawled under the hedge. The fine weaving hadn’t gotten ruined, though. Wakatoshi carefully set it back in place, brushing a loose strand of hair behind Satori’s ear.

“You have so many freckles,” he said.

“I like to be outside,” Satori told him, a little breathless. “The sun brings them out. I have to come here to hide in the shade sometimes, though, or else I’ll burn.”

“The freckles are beautiful,” Wakatoshi said. “Like stars on your face.”

“You’re cheesy,” Satori laughed, though it wasn’t derisive. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to court me.”

“What if I told you I was?”

Satori let his jaw drop, freezing in place. _What_? Wakatoshi couldn’t possibly be courting him. No one courted him. He was too different looking, not pretty enough for an omega, too strange.

“Why?” he asked in a whisper.

“Because you made me laugh with your stories,” Wakatoshi told him. “And your hair is like fire, and even when you’re not trying to, your mouth is in a smile. Your eyes are red, too. I’ve never seen eyes like yours. And because you never questioned letting me spend time with you. You’re fun to spend time with. And…”

“Gods, do you really have a list?” Satori asked, face probably as red as his hair. “I can’t possibly be that interesting.”

“You have no idea how fascinating you are, do you?” Wakatoshi asked, but he was smiling again.

“I can’t believe you’re actually courting me,” Satori said. “Alright. Fine. What’s next on the courting agenda?”

“I’m told you like chocolate ice cream,” Wakatoshi said. Satori perked up at the promise of his favorite food. “I would love to go get you some, but unfortunately, I’m still lost in these gardens, and you’d probably end up having to find me. So, if you would allow me, I’ll escort you to get some ice cream.”

“Don’t get all formal on me now,” Satori laughed. “Just…take me to get ice cream, then.”

Once they scrambled their way back out, Wakatoshi held out his arm for Satori to take. Oh. He was serious about escorting, as if Satori was a fine noble. Technically, yes, he was a noble, but he almost never acted like it, and most people didn’t particularly treat him like it, if people meant Hajime, Tooru, and Tobio.

Wakatoshi was happy to let Satori chatter away about anything, occasionally offering a response but mostly letting him talk. Satori tried to control his heartbeat. This beautiful alpha, for some reason, was courting _him_. He couldn’t believe his luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Ushijima has to go home, but he might have an extra person.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a twist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra update this week! I had a bad mental health day today, so I wrote instead of doing my homework because it made me feel better. There will still be an update on Sunday, and will always be an update on Sunday regardless of any extra chapters I put out during the week.

“Ushijima-sama.”

Wakatoshi looked up from where he was fastening his shirt into place to see Goshiki standing with a letter.

“An eagle came for you from Shiratorizawa,” he said, holding it out. “It has the queen’s seal.”

Wakatoshi took it, resisting the urge to frown. It was probably just his mother trying to hurry him along. She’d wanted him to bring home a mate as soon as possible, and didn’t seem to understand what he meant when he said that might take time.

He’d been spending a lot of time with Satori over the past few weeks he’d been here. The redheaded omega was surprisingly easy to court, and Wakatoshi found he was never bored when spending time with him. They’d had to spend less time outside as the peak of summer hit and the July heat bore down on them. Up in the castle in Shiratorizawa, it would be much cooler at this time of year, and the Iron Wall even farther north was probably covered in snow, but down here it was sweltering.

He and Satori had been spending a lot of time inside. Satori had showed him the library, and Wakatoshi had to be impressed. The giant floor to ceiling windows were thrown open in the hopes of catching a breeze, and the soft summer winds weren’t enough to throw pages around. It was enough to knock Satori’s long hair into his face, so he tied it back while he was reading, playing absentmindedly with a strand.

Wakatoshi was certain that he would ask Satori to accompany him back to Shiratorizawa. Eventually. It was much too soon to ask him for that, let alone discuss mating. He didn’t want Satori to think he’d only been interested because he’d been told to find a mate when in reality he’d stopped to talk to Satori because the redhead looked like a friend.

He shook himself, opening his mother’s letter. If she was telling him to hurry up, he would just ignore her. They had all the time in the world, there was no need to rush.

His sharp gasp of breath brought Goshiki close.

“What is it? What happened?” he asked, hand on his sword and prepared to defend to the death.

“Itachiyama,” Wakatoshi told him, knowing that would be enough to assure his knight that danger wasn’t imminent. “They attacked the Iron Wall. My father went up to help, but…he was injured.”

“The king is injured?”

“Badly. He can’t lead the army anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Ushijima-sama,” Goshiki said. Wakatoshi waved him off. There would be time for pity later.

“Semi is fine, so we’re not completely defenseless,” Wakatoshi went on. “But my mother wants us to go back to help.”

“Of course,” Goshiki nodded.

“She wants me to bring back the future queen,” Wakatoshi said. “She even says to mate with someone now if I have to.”

“Yeah, because that’s going to go over so well with Seijoh,” Goshiki scoffed. “Are you going to ask Tendou-san?”

“To mate with me?”

“No! Just to come back to Shiratorizawa with you,” Goshiki corrected quickly. “She didn’t say you had to be mated, did she? You can just ask Tendou-san to come to Shiratorizawa and let the queen do whatever training she thinks he needs to do before you mate him. If he agrees, of course.”

“What do I do, Goshiki?” Wakatoshi asked. “How do I ask him to leave his home and come with me? We’ve only known each other a few weeks, is that even long enough to ask him for that?”

“You’re asking me?”

“You’re the one with a mate.”

“Yeah, but Taichi’s a beta.”

“I’m not asking you as an alpha,” Wakatoshi said. “I’m asking how you, one man to another, asked Kawanishi to be your mate.”

“I told him that I loved him, although he already knew that,” Goshiki said, eyes dark and serious. “I told him I couldn’t imagine a life where he wasn’t by my side, and I never wanted to. Then I told him that if he would do me the honor of standing beside me and protecting my back for the rest of our lives, I would do the same for him.”

“That’s it?”

“You have to understand, we were already together for a while before I asked him to mate me,” Goshiki explained. “This wouldn’t work for Tendou-san. You haven’t even known each other long enough to fall in love, you’re definitely not ready to mate. Just explain the situation to him. Tell him it doesn’t have to be binding, but that you want him to come back to Shiratorizawa with us. Tell him the queen will train him, since he’s definitely going to have a lot to learn if he’s not royalty. Tell him it’s his decision, and that you’ll respect whatever he chooses. All you can do is give him all the information and let him decide what to do with it.”

Wakatoshi sat quietly for a moment, considering.

“You’re wiser than you give yourself credit for, Goshiki,” he said finally.

“Oh, no! Taichi is definitely the smart one,” Goshiki laughed. “I just have the common sense to see what’s in front of me.”

Wakatoshi offered him a smile, leaving to find Satori. He would have to explain himself, of course, and Satori would have the final say in whatever the decision was, but hopefully it would end with Satori accompanying him and Goshiki and Kawanishi back to Shiratorizawa for good.

Satori wasn’t hard to find, sitting in the library on a window seat, just out of the reach of the sun but still close enough that a breeze could curl around him. He looked quiet and peaceful. Just as he had the first time they’d met, he sensed Wakatoshi without a sound to warn him, whipping his head up. His upturned mouth stretched into a grin.

“Wakatoshi!” he whisper shouted. It was completely quiet otherwise. No one else seemed to be around. “Come and sit.”

Wakatoshi obeyed, sitting beside Satori on the cushion.

“I have something important to tell you,” he said, watching the grin fade from Satori’s face. “Not bad. Just important.”

“What’s going on?” Satori asked, voice nervous. Wakatoshi pretended not to notice, but he did try to keep his posture open and nonthreatening and his scent stable.

“I suppose I should start by introducing myself, although I suspect you already know me,” Wakatoshi said. “My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, prince of Shiratorizawa.”

By the shocked, wide eyes Satori was giving him, he really hadn’t known Wakatoshi was a prince.

“I assumed you already knew,” Wakatoshi said apologetically. “The reason I have to lead with that is I’ve just gotten word from my mother.”

“The queen,” Satori said, more statement than question. Wakatoshi nodded.

“We have a war coming with Itachiyama,” he explained. “My father has already been injured too much to continue leading the army, so I have to return to Shiratorizawa as soon as possible.”

“Oh,” Satori said, face falling. “Would it be too rude of me to ask you to write?”

“Not at all, but hopefully it won’t be necessary,” Wakatoshi told him. Satori’s head snapped up. “I came here to bring back a mate to be Shiratorizawa’s next queen. The original plan was to offer my hand in marriage to the crown prince, but as you know, he’s already mated, and the younger prince is too young to be mated. The king offered to let me choose a noble, as long as they consent.”

“You can’t…” Satori trailed off, catching his bearings. “You can’t possibly be asking me to mate with you?”

“No,” Wakatoshi said hastily. “It’s far too soon for us to even consider that. What I’m asking is for you to come back to Shiratorizawa with me, as a friend and courtmate.”

Satori stared blankly, and Wakatoshi hurried to try and make it sound like a better offer.

“You wouldn’t be obligated to do anything you don’t want to do,” he went on. “If you get there and decide you don’t want it, you can leave and come back here, no one will stop you. You can say no right now and I’ll accept that, although I will take the liberty of asking you to write to me.”

Satori smiled at that.

“My mother wants the next queen ready to take over soon,” he said. “I think she expects me to take over from my father after this war is over, and she intends to step down as queen for the next in line. So she wants to start teaching the next queen how to rule now.”

“And you want that to be me?” Satori asked quietly.

“I am honored to even consider you a friend, and would be even more honored if you would come back to my home with me,” Wakatoshi told him. “You would be my guest for as long as you like.”

Satori stared out the window, gaze soft and long. Wakatoshi waited nervously, resisting the urge to fidget.

“Yes,” Satori said, breaking the silence and making him jump.

“Yes?”

“I’ll go back to Shiratorizawa with you,” Satori said. “I can’t….I can’t mate with you yet.”

“And I don’t expect you to.”

“But if you want me to come with you, and meet your parents, and…learn how to be a queen, that I can do,” Satori offered.

“That’s all I ask of you,” Wakatoshi said. He felt lighter. Satori was coming home with him. Even if they weren’t going to be mates yet, he could continue his courtship and show Satori where he’d come from, as Satori had shown him all over the castle of Seijoh.

They were going north.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: to Shiratorizawa


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima proposes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to be able to introduce the rest of Shiratorizawa soon. In the meantime, have another filler chapter. Also notice the updated chapter count because I cleaned up my outline.

Satori was in the library, in the lightest clothes he owned, trying to catch a cool breeze from the window. His shoulders were bare under the light fabric, and he had his skirt rucked up above his knees. It was probably indecent, but he didn’t care. There was nobody else in the library.

His hair was mostly tied up off his neck, but a few wispy strands stuck to his neck, the breeze doing little to cool him. He felt eyes on him and looked up to see Wakatoshi standing there.

“Wakatoshi!” he whisper shouted. Though nobody else was here, he still didn’t want to disturb the quiet of the library. “Come and sit.”

Wakatoshi obeyed, sitting beside Satori on the cushion.

“I have something important to tell you,” he said. Satori tried to keep calm. That didn’t sound good. “Not bad. Just important.”

“What’s going on?” Satori asked. He knew he sounded nervous, and he probably smelled like it too.

“I suppose I should start by introducing myself, although I suspect you already know me,” Wakatoshi said. “My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, prince of Shiratorizawa.”

Satori felt blank for a moment. This alpha that had been courting him…that he’d been teasing and running around with for the last few weeks…was a _prince_ …

“I assumed you already knew,” Wakatoshi said apologetically. “The reason I have to lead with that is I’ve just gotten word from my mother.”

“The queen.” Satori didn’t ask. Of course Wakatoshi’s mother would be the queen. Could he even still call him Wakatoshi? Was that allowed?

“We have a war coming with Itachiyama.” Wakatoshi cut off his train of thought. “My father has already been injured too much to continue leading the army, so I have to return to Shiratorizawa as soon as possible.”

“Oh,” Satori sighed. That was what was happening. Wakatoshi was leaving him. That…bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He’d gotten used to having Wakatoshi around. The fact that Wakatoshi was courting him, wanted him, was nice as well. “Would it be too rude of me to ask you to write?”

“Not at all, but hopefully it won’t be necessary,” Wakatoshi said. Satori looked at him. “I came here to bring back a mate to be Shiratorizawa’s next queen. The original plan was to offer my hand in marriage to the crown prince, but as you know, he’s already mated, and the younger prince is too young to be mated. The king offered to let me choose a noble, as long as they consent.”

“You can’t…” Satori trailed off. Wakatoshi couldn’t be saying what he thought he was saying. “You can’t possibly be asking me to mate with you?”

“No,” Wakatoshi corrected quickly. “It’s far too soon for us to even consider that. What I’m asking is for you to come back to Shiratorizawa with me, as a friend and courtmate.”

Satori didn’t respond, and Wakatoshi tumbled on.  

“You wouldn’t be obligated to do anything you don’t want to do,” he said. “If you get there and decide you don’t want it, you can leave and come back here, no one will stop you. You can say no right now and I’ll accept that, although I will take the liberty of asking you to write to me.”

Satori smiled despite himself. That was cute.

“My mother wants the next queen ready to take over soon,” Wakatoshi went on. “I think she expects me to take over from my father after this war is over, and she intends to step down as queen for the next in line. So she wants to start teaching the next queen how to rule now.”

“And you want that to be me?” Satori asked quietly.

“I am honored to even consider you a friend, and would be even more honored if you would come back to my home with me,” Wakatoshi said. “You would be my guest for as long as you like.”

Satori stared out the window, focusing on everything and nothing. He let his mind wander, ignoring Wakatoshi looking more and more nervous next to him. On the one hand, a part of him that was very omega was jumping at the prospect of a mate, and a mate he happened to like. He was attracted to Wakatoshi, that much was certain.

He wasn’t in love with the alpha, but then, they’d only known each other a few weeks. Satori would have been more concerned if he did feel in love with Wakatoshi. Mating right now was out of the question, of course. Satori needed to be absolutely sure before he committed his life to someone else.

But wasn’t Wakatoshi offering him that? He’d already said that Satori would be his guest for as long as he pleased, and he wouldn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do. If he wanted, he could just come back here.

Then there was the matter of being a queen of another kingdom. That would probably be the hardest part of this whole arrangement. Satori was a noble, true, but he hadn’t been born to rule, nor had he been trained. Still, it seemed the current queen would make sure he knew what he was doing.

It wasn’t like he was ever going to get a better offer. An alpha he liked was offering him an indefinite courtship and eventually a crown. Even if he didn’t love Wakatoshi now, he was fond of him. With time, his feelings would grow to love, he could feel it. And Wakatoshi was offering him the time to let them grow.

“Yes,” Satori said, breaking the silence at last.

“Yes?”

“I’ll go back to Shiratorizawa with you,” Satori said. “I can’t….I can’t mate with you yet.”

“And I don’t expect you to.” Wakatoshi sounded so earnest and excited and breathless, and that made Satori feel more secure. Wakatoshi was nervous and finding his way through uncharted territory too.

“But if you want me to come with you, and meet your parents, and…learn how to be a queen, that I can do,” Satori finished.

“That’s all I ask of you,” Wakatoshi said.

“I guess we should talk to the king,” Satori said. “If marrying me is a condition of a treaty between Seijoh and Shiratorizawa, then we need to clear it with him.”

“I should get Kawanishi,” Wakatoshi mused. “He’s the one that’s actually negotiating the treaty.”

Satori had met both Kawanishi and Goshiki in the time he’d been spending with Wakatoshi. He couldn’t explain the weird urge to mother Goshiki, considering the alpha was older than him, but the motherly instinct was there anyway. He was fond of Kawanishi as well, despite the beta’s aloofness.

They were easy enough to find, and Goshiki was practically vibrating with excitement. Wakatoshi must have told him what he was planning to do.

The king was in his study, as he often was at this time of day. Satori knocked lightly before pushing the door open. The king looked up, taking off his reading glasses.

“Satori? What can I do for…oh, you’ve met Ushijima,” he said, eyes widening before smoothing out. Much like his elder son, he had a remarkable amount of control over his face. Even Satori couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“I said we could renegotiate the treaty after I found an appropriate mate,” Wakatoshi said. Kawanishi stepped forward, clearly ready to handle things from there. The king focused on Satori.

“He proposed a marriage to you?” he asked. Satori nodded. “And you agree?” Satori nodded again. “Is it because you actually want to, or because you don’t think anyone else will ever court you?”

“I like Wakatoshi,” Satori said, drawing a stare for using the prince’s given name. Was he allowed to do that? He was Wakatoshi’s courtmate and that was all he’d ever called him. “He’s promised that we won’t mate immediately, and that’s enough for me.”

“Then I will agree,” the king conceded. “Obviously, I have the authority to agree on your behalf, but do you want to bring your parents in as well?”

“No reason,” Satori shrugged. “I’ll send a letter to Rowanwood. It’ll make my mother happy, at least.”

“Then let’s get down to business,” the king said. Satori tried to pay attention, but there really wasn’t much need for input from him. Kawanishi and the king went back and forth, with occasional interjections from Wakatoshi. Goshiki didn’t seem to need to step in at all. The basics of the treaty were already in place, and the only thing to do now was to hammer out some finer details.

Finally, everyone seemed to be in agreement as to how much food and land and trees and soldiers needed to be allotted everywhere, and a document had been written and signed. Satori signed that as well to agree to the part he would play in this. It was strange to look up and see his own name written as a stipulation of the treaty. He never thought he would play a role like this.

“When will you plan to depart?” the king asked. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“We need to get back to Shiratorizawa as soon as possible,” Wakatoshi replied. “Itachiyama has attacked the Iron Wall, and I need to get back to help defend the kingdom.”

“I wish you luck, then,” the king said. “You’re our defense from the far north. I hope our resources will help you defend us.”

“We thank you,” Wakatoshi inclined his head. They left his study.

“When will we leave?” Satori asked.

“Can you be ready to leave in two days?” Wakatoshi asked. “I want to get home as soon as possible.”

Home. It was about to be Satori’s new home as well.

“I can be ready in two days,” he agreed. “I should go pack.”

He left Wakatoshi, Kawanishi, and Goshiki to go back to his room. He spent almost no time here, though it was nice enough. He preferred being outside to anything else, but even when he was inside, he liked to wander too much to stay in one place.

He pulled out his trunk, but there really wasn’t much to bring with him. A few clothes he was fond of, a few mementos he treasured. Instead, he packed them into a bag. It wasn’t like the clothes would be much use to him anyway. Shiratorizawa was so far north that even in the summer it would be cooler. He’d need new clothes once he got there to survive the winter.

A knock at his door broke him from his train of thought. Tobio hesitantly stepped in, eyeing the open trunk and bag.

“Are you going on a trip?” he asked, sounding surprised. It was reasonable. Satori had barely left the castle since he moved here. A trip would certainly be unusual for him.

“I’m…leaving, actually,” Satori explained. Tobio’s eyes went wide. “I’m going to be married.”

“To who?” Tobio looked nothing short of horrified.

“The prince of Shiratorizawa,” Satori told him. “You don’t have to look so scared. I agreed to it.”

“But you couldn’t say no to a prince, could you?” Tobio asked.

“Tobio,” Satori sighed. “You know me. Would I be going if I didn’t want to?”

“No,” Tobio said, but he looked uncertain. “When are you leaving?”

“Two days,” Satori said. Tobio looked uncertain, but he rushed forward and nearly swept Satori off his feet in a hug.

“I’ll…miss you,” he said haltingly. “You’re the only one who’s really nice to me now that Tooru’s always mad at me. Will you write to me?”

“Of course,” Satori promised. “Don’t let your brother get to you, alright? You’re a prince too. You’re not powerless.”

Tobio stepped back, a new set to his jaw. It was a steely look that Satori had seen on Tooru before. He had a plan now. Satori had no idea what had given him the idea, but he hoped it worked.

“Good luck,” he said. “And…congratulations?”

“Thank you,” Satori said, smiling as Tobio ran off. He was going to be a force to be reckoned with someday. He’d be a soldier, Satori was sure of it. He had the eyes.

Satori turned back to his bag, packing up what little he wanted to take with him. He really didn’t have a lot that was important enough to bring miles north to Shiratorizawa.

He was starting a new life, and it was scary, and exciting, and new.

He was going on an adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: to Shiratorizawa.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go to Shiratorizawa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had another weird mental health day (I'm blaming the weather) so have another update. There will most likely be either no update or a late update this week, since I will be going out of town. I'll see what I can do.  
> Bonus: GoT fans, try to guess what I based Shiratorizawa off.

“Fly fast,” Satori told the pigeon, although he was pretty sure it wouldn’t understand him. It just cooed at him and left, heading for Rowanwood.

The letter it carried was short and to the point, but little traces of affection had slipped through. He had just meant to tell his mother that he was going to Shiratorizawa to be married, but he couldn’t hide how much he missed her. He’d barely seen her since he came to the castle.

Maybe she would come to visit him in Shiratorizawa. His father had restricted her movements ever since her affair, but if he was going to be queen, he had to have some power to change that. His parents weren’t mated, and probably never would be after everything, but she was a timid woman and had been dominated by the men around her for her entire life. From the stories she’d told him, her father had been just as overbearing as his, and she’d been given away as a bride far too young. He couldn’t begrudge her the affair, even if it had made his life harder. He couldn’t be mad for the one moment of freedom she’d had.

And she’d done her best to protect him when he still lived at Rowanwood. He’d never doubted for a moment that she loved him fiercely, loved him enough to send him away to the castle because she thought he’d be happier away from her.

He shook himself. This wasn’t a day to feel sad. He was going off on an adventure, he was supposed to be excited.

Tooru and Hajime were waiting for him in the courtyard, ready to say their goodbyes. They had been distant recently, Tooru’s fight for the throne keeping them busy, but Satori was going to miss them.

“I don’t suppose you know anything about Tobio offering to stay away from the throne as long as I promise not to marry him off, do you?” Tooru asked, but they both already knew the answer.

“Be good to him,” Satori told him. “He’s going to be loyal to you.”

“Yeah, he is,” Tooru sighed. “I have a lot of work to do to make it up to him, don’t I?”

“You were an ass,” Satori agreed, and Tooru made a face.

“You’re not supposed to agree!” he protested, but then he sobered. “I wish you the best. I’ve seen you with Ushijima. He makes you happy. I’m happy for you.”

Satori hugged him, because Satori was a hugger, and Tooru was clingy anyway.

“Take care of yourself,” Hajime said. “And don’t forget to write sometimes.”

“I will,” Satori promised. A young beta woman walked up behind Hajime, grinning at him. “Maiya? How long have you been here?”

“I just got back,” she laughed. “And I heard the little bug eyed kid who used to run around with my baby brother is all grown up and going off to get married. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, nee-san,” he said. She pulled him into a rough hug.

“Anyone gives you trouble, you just let us know,” she said fiercely. “Hajime and I will come up and kick some ass.”

She and Hajime stood strong beside each other. They were two of a kind, brother and sister. Satori was feeling the love.

Tobio was standing off to the side, fidgeting. He’d already said his goodbyes, but he came forward to give Satori another hug.

“Promise you’ll write to me?” he asked in a small voice.

“Of course,” Satori told him. “Someone has to tell you stories about the far north.”

Tobio looked happier.

“Don’t let your brother give you any shit,” Satori said. “But don’t hold a grudge. I think he’s going to try to earn your forgiveness. Let him.”

Tobio nodded, looking serious. Satori slung his bag over his shoulder, turning to where Wakatoshi and Kawanishi and Goshiki were waiting.

“That’s all you’re bringing?” Wakatoshi asked.

“I don’t need much,” Satori admitted.

“That moves up our timetable, then,” Kawanishi said. “We were expecting to have to use a carriage for the ride back, but if you packed light, we can make it back in a few weeks. Assuming you can ride, of course.”

“I know how to ride,” Satori scoffed, ignoring the fact that he hadn’t been on a horse’s back in years. He could keep up just fine. He wasn’t going to break.

“Consider this my wedding gift to you,” a voice broke in. The king was there, holding the reigns of a hearty looking horse. “She’s a tough one. She’ll survive just fine up in the north.”

Satori couldn’t respond for a moment, throat closing up.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “She’s beautiful.”

She wasn’t, not in the traditional sense at least, but she looked strong, and Satori thought there was beauty in that.

“Good luck,” the king said. “And have a safe journey.”

“We thank you for your hospitality,” Wakatoshi said. “I’ve already sent word to Shiratorizawa. A legion should be on its way down already.”

The king nodded, and then they were off.

“I didn’t realize you were going to pack so light,” Goshiki commented. They were riding at a steady pace, but not so fast that they couldn’t talk. “Most omegas need more stuff.”

“I don’t,” Satori shrugged. The jolting of the horse was already starting to get to him. “How far is it to Shiratorizawa?”

“About two hundred miles to the border, and another hundred to the capital,” Wakatoshi answered. “If we can keep the pace we had on the way down, it should take about three weeks.”

Satori tried to hide his grimace, and Kawanishi grinned.

“Semi is going to adopt him on the spot,” he said. Goshiki nodded in agreement.

“Who’s Semi?” Satori asked. “Is he like a head omega?”

Goshiki snorted.

“No,” Kawanishi said, laughter in his voice, “he's an alpha, but he got all the motherly instincts his mate missed out on.”

“I’m sure Kenjirou will be a fine mother,” Wakatoshi argued. Kawanishi just gave him a look.

“The day Kenjirou gracefully accepts motherhood is the day I eat my own socks,” he said flatly.

“They have only been mated for a year,” Goshiki reasoned. “And they’re both busy since Semi-san is the general and Shirabu-san is the chief strategist. They might want children someday.”

“You still haven’t dropped the habit of calling him by his maiden name,” Kawanishi pointed out.

“Shirabu-san will always be Shirabu-san, even if he took Semi-san’s family name,” Goshiki argued. Kawanishi shrugged.

“My point is, Semi is going to like you,” he addressed Satori again. “He likes picking up strays, and you’ll be a young omega in a new place. He’s going to fuss over you, fair warning.”

“I can deal with fussing,” Satori assured him. “Semi and Shirabu are general and strategist? And they’re mated?”

“Yes,” Wakatoshi answered. “They hardly ever leave the citadel, save for wartime. Even then, Kenjirou will stay while Eita goes off to battle. They’re too important to risk going out too often.”

“What’s the citadel like?” Satori asked. “What are the people like?”

They spent hours telling him about the city up on the top of a mountain, nearly impenetrable from the outside. The walls had been redesigned over the years to keep the worst of the wind off, and natural hot springs below the palace kept it warm year round. There was a lower town around the palace in the safety of the walls, and was mostly populated by merchants that dealt with the farmers that had learned over the years to farm in the mountains.

They stopped for the night at an inn, and the keeper seemed to recognize them from their trip down. He offered them two rooms, one with a double bed, and one with two twins.

“Goshiki and I will take the double bed, and you two can have the twins,” Wakatoshi announced. Satori sighed happily, already glad to be able to res this aching legs. He wasn’t looking forward to getting back in the saddle tomorrow.

He dropped into bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. He was almost dead asleep when he heard Kawanishi drop into the bed next to him.

“I can’t wait to get back,” he sighed. “It’s so hot down here.”

“I’m sorry I’m keeping you from your mate,” Satori offered sleepily. Kawanishi shrugged.

“We’re knights,” he said. “It’s our job to make sure you two are safe. Besides, it’s only a few weeks. Then I’ll have him all to myself again.”

Satori was about to make a lewd comment, but he was asleep before he could, and the next thing he knew, Kawanishi was shaking him awake. It was time to get going again.

***

Two weeks later, and Satori was ready to never ride a horse again. He was almost ready to cry with happiness when they started to climb the narrow path that led up to the citadel.

Trumpets blared at the return of the prince, and the gates were opened. Satori sighed. He couldn’t wait to get settled and sleep for a week, if he could.

There were people waiting for them just inside the gate, cheering as their prince rode back in. Satori tried to sit up straight, smile, be the queen they were expecting him to be someday. No one looked at him angrily, which was a good sign.

They passed the second gate into the palace grounds, and fewer people were waiting for them. They handed off their horses to waiting groomsmen, and turned to face the small crowd. Satori steeled himself. This was his first test.

“Ushijima-sama,” someone said, coming forward. He had long black and white hair pulled into a ponytail, and though he was shorter than Wakatoshi, he radiated an air of power. “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Eita,” Wakatoshi answered. “This is Tendou Satori.”

Satori tried to make himself look friendly. Eita – this was probably Semi – looked him over critically, before arching a brow.

“He’s perfect,” Semi said.

“I hope my mother thinks so, too,” Wakatoshi said.

“That’s why he’s perfect,” Semi countered, but he held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Tendou-san. I’m Semi Eita, but you’re welcome to call me Eita, most people do.”

A slightly shorter omega stepped around Eita. His light brown hair was cut with completely straight bangs. He was the polar opposite of Eita, and yet, they fit together.

“Hello, Tendou-san,” he said, voice much softer than Eita’s. “I’m Eita’s mate, Kenjirou. You’re welcome to call me by my given name as well. It gets confusing since we’re both Semi now.”

“Hello, Kenjirou,” Satori said shyly. He was almost overwhelmed by the people starting to crowd around.

“Everyone back off, give him some room,” a female voice ordered. An absolutely tiny omega woman stepped forward. She was classically pretty, if a little plain, and at the very least double Satori’s age. “Don’t scare him off before he even gets inside. Hello dear. I’m Ai, and this is Reon.” She gestured to the older alpha behind her. “If you need anything, you can come to us.”

“Thank you,” Satori said. He didn’t want to seem ungrateful, and he was happy that everyone was so nice, but he wanted to sit down.

“That’s enough niceties,” another female voice cut in. Satori looked up and…

This. This had to be the queen. Even without her resemblance to Wakatoshi, she was clearly royalty. She walked with her head held high and not even the idea that her words might be disobeyed.

She greeted Wakatoshi before looking over Satori critically. He tried not to squirm.

“He’ll do,” she said shortly. “Come inside. You’ve had a long journey, you must be exhausted.”

Not exactly a warm welcome, but she hadn’t greeted him with outright dislike. He could deal with this.

She led him and Wakatoshi to a wing of the palace, although Wakatoshi probably didn’t need the guide. She turned.

“Wakatoshi, I expect you to get him settled,” she said. “I’ll send dinner to your rooms for tonight. Tomorrow, you start training with me.”

She was off in a flurry of skirts. Satori turned to Wakatoshi.

“She’s not being rude on purpose,” Wakatoshi assured him. “That’s just how she is.”

Satori just nodded. He needed to sleep.

“These are your rooms,” Wakatoshi said. “I’m next door. We’re not connected, but you’re welcome to visit anytime.”

Satori nodded again, and Wakatoshi seemed to sense that he would collapse at any moment. He picked up Satori’s hand, kissing the back and leaving him alone.

Satori dropped into bed, face burning. That was such a sweet gesture. He didn’t have time to dwell on it, though. He was already burrowing under the soft furs on his bed, and it wasn’t long before he was entirely asleep.

Tomorrow, he could deal with the new home. Tonight, he had to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about drawing out a map and posting it. The only thing is, to draw the entire world out as I've planned it would spoil not only this but future fics. I might post just a preview.  
> Next time: the training begins


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The training begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot guess who's finally back. I promise I'll have the next update ready for this Sunday. This week was just long for me. Anyway, enjoy smitten Ushijima.

Wakatoshi decided to wake Satori up himself rather than letting one of the maids do it. Satori was tough, but being a new place was hard on everyone. It would probably be easier on him to see a familiar face first thing.

Satori was still passed out, but they’d had a long journey. He was probably tired. He’d burrowed under the blankets and furs, making a little makeshift nest, and only his eyes and hair were poking out.

“Satori,” Wakatoshi called softly. Satori made a little whining sound before retreating farther into his nest. “Satori, it’s time to get up.”

He rested his hand gently on what he assumed was the omega’s shoulder. That finally got Satori to open his eyes.

“Five more minutes?” he complained, though he was already shifting to sit up.

“My mother will be waiting for you soon,” Wakatoshi told him. “You should get ready for her.”

“Alright, alright,” Satori yawned, stretching like a cat. “I’m up.”

Wakatoshi was again struck with how muscular Satori was as he stretched his arms overhead. He was the farthest thing from the stereotypical tiny omega. Wakatoshi wondered if he’d been taught to use weapons. It would be comforting to know that he could defend himself if necessary.

Satori hauled himself out of bed, and Wakatoshi saw that he’d only managed to get halfway out of the clothes he’d been travelling in. He really must have collapsed the minute he hit the bed.

“I should…oh,” Satori trailed off. “What do I wear for training with the queen?”

“You don’t have to wear anything special,” Wakatoshi said. “She’s probably just going to be showing you around the citadel today. Be prepared to go outside, though. The castle isn’t really one building. There are a lot of covered bridges between buildings.”

“Noted,” Satori said, shrugging the rest of the way out of the shirt he’d fallen asleep in. “It’s not as cold up here as I was expecting.”

Wakatoshi respectfully averted his eyes.

“It’s still summer, after all,” he said. “It won’t get truly cold until after the harvest moon.”

“Good,” Satori said. “That gives me time to get ready for winter. Are you looking away?”

He sounded amused. Wakatoshi looked up. Satori had dressed himself in what must have been something he brought with him from Seijoh, since it wasn’t anything like the style of Shiratorizawa.

“It would be rude to stare while you’re changing,” Wakatoshi told him. Satori grinned.

“What a gentleman,” he laughed. “Let’s go see your mother.”

Wakatoshi stopped him before he could get out the door.

“Your hair is all over the place,” he said, reaching for the fiery red strands. “Let me help with that.”

“Isn’t this below you?” Satori asked, though he stopped to let Wakatoshi pull his hair up.

“I like your hair,” Wakatoshi said in answer. He wove Satori’s hair into a simple braid down past his shoulders, tying it off with a leather thong. “There. Now we can go see my mother.”

Satori nodded, cheeks pink.

“Lead the way.”

Wakatoshi took him down to his mother’s study, Satori marveling along the way at everything he’d been too tired to look at the night before. They swung by the kitchen, grabbing a roll each to munch on as they walked the rest of the way.

His mother was waiting for them, looking over some papers in the meantime. She looked up when they entered, eyes immediately going to Satori.

“Let me get a good look at him,” she said, standing up. She circled Satori, eyeing him critically. Satori looked like he was trying not to squirm. “He’s not royalty. You were unsuccessful in courting the crown prince, then?”

“He’s already mated,” Wakatoshi said. His mother already knew this from the letter he’d sent ahead of them, so the only reason she had to bring it up now was to shame Satori.

“He’s at least a noble, I hope,” she went on, ignoring the look Wakatoshi was trying to give her. In fairness, his face was naturally pretty blank. He might not have a different expression at all. “Then I’ll have to start from scratch. Tell me, Tendou, do you know what the duty of the queen of Shiratorizawa is?”

“The queen runs the kingdom domestically while the king runs the military and foreign affairs,” Satori answered without missing a beat. Wakatoshi and his mother stared at him. “I grew up in the palace. I was educated with the crown prince. I may not have been trained to rule, but I’m not starting completely from the bottom.”

“Good,” the queen replied, already bouncing back. “Come with me. You’ll need to meet the people that keep charge of running this castle. Remember their names and faces. That is your first duty in running this kingdom.”

Wakatoshi followed them around, ready to jump in and defend Satori if need be. His mother never outright said anything to attack him, but she made it clear with her attitude that she thought he was a burden on her. Satori didn’t so much as flinch, and Wakatoshi was proud of him. He held his head high and walked in the queen’s footsteps, greeting everyone introduced to him and repeating their names.

It was good to see Satori taking everything in stride. Many people crumbled under his mother’s gaze, but Wakatoshi thought Satori could stand up to that. She wasn’t an easy woman to please, but Wakatoshi wasn’t sure how even she could deny Satori her approval with how hard he was already working.

“That’s enough for one day,” she said as the sun was starting to set. “I expect you in my study at the same time tomorrow morning. We’ll start going through the kingdom’s finance reports.”

Satori nodded, and Wakatoshi turned to walk him to the kitchen. They’d scrounge a quick meal before Wakatoshi took him back to his room.

“Wakatoshi, a word?” his mother called, stopping him in his tracks. He waved Satori forward.

“I’ll catch up to you,” he said, turning back to his mother. She waited until Satori left the room before she spoke.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked. “I told you to bring me back the next queen.”

“What complaints do you have of him already?” Wakatoshi asked.

“He’s not royalty, that’s the first one,” his mother started. “You were supposed to bring back a prince.”

“Which would you have preferred, the already mated crown prince or the twelve year old boy?” Wakatoshi asked mildly. He knew better than to give his mother the sharp edge in his voice that he thought that statement deserved.

“You still could have done better than a no name bastard,” his mother went on. “He barely counts as a noble.”

“Don’t call him a bastard,” Wakatoshi said, and this time he couldn’t keep the bite out of his voice. “He did everything you asked of him today, and he didn’t complain once. He was educated with the crown prince, you’re not working with someone completely untrained.”

“He hasn’t learned how to rule.”

“That’s why you’re supposed to teach him.”

“Why did you really pick him, Wakatoshi?” his mother sighed. “There must have been a better choice. Seijoh is known for its lack of omegas, but surely he couldn’t have been your only option.”

“He could be a good queen if you just give him a chance,” Wakatoshi argued. “You’ve only known him for one day. At least give him time to learn and prove himself before you start criticizing him.”

His mother stared at him for a long moment before dropping her head into her hand.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” she asked, though it really wasn’t a question.

“So what if I am?” Wakatoshi shot back. “That doesn’t change the fact that he has a lot of potential.”

“Love is for children, Wakatoshi,” his mother told him severely. “Do you think I chose to mate your father out of love? It was my duty. He was the best choice to protect the kingdom. Love had nothing to do with it.”

“I didn’t just choose him because I like him,” Wakatoshi said. “I really do think he has to potential to be a great queen. He’s not starting from scratch, he’s intelligent, and he’s good with people. He was close friends with both of the Seijoh princes. He’s a good choice for the kingdom. Loving him is just a bonus.”

“Of course the first person you fall in love with is someone I’d have to deal with,” his mother sighed again. “You’re just like your father; a hopeless romantic. You don’t have the steel to make hard choices for this kingdom. That’s why the queen must rule.”

“I didn’t make a bad choice.” Wakatoshi had had enough of this conversation. “Just because I love him doesn’t make him a bad choice. Just give him a chance. You’ll see that he can do it.”

He left before his mother could argue with him further. Satori was waiting for him at the end of the corridor, hopefully far enough away that he hadn’t heard any of that.

“You could have gone ahead to the kitchens without me,” Wakatoshi told him. “I’m sure you’re hungry after being with my mother all day.”

“I wanted to eat with you,” Satori said. “Besides, I don’t actually remember where I’m going.”

They walked in silence for a moment before Satori gave a little self-deprecating laugh.

“She doesn’t like me very much, does she?”

“She’s just worried,” Wakatoshi tried to reassure him, although the fact remained that his mother really didn’t seem to like his chosen courtmate. “She doesn’t think she has a lot of time to get the next queen ready.”

“Wakatoshi,” Satori cut him off. “You don’t have to lie to me. She doesn’t like me. I can handle people not liking me.”

“She’s just bad with new people,” Wakatoshi insisted. “Just prove to her that you have what it takes to be her successor. She has high standards, but you’re smart and you work hard. She can’t complain if you’re learning well.”

Satori was quiet again, considering.

“Why _did_ you choose me?” he asked. “I know you couldn’t have Tooru like you were supposed to, but there’s no way I was your only choice.”

“I asked you because I wanted you,” Wakatoshi said. “You were easily the best choice. You’ll be a good queen, you’ll see.”

“You have nothing to base that on,” Satori warned.

“I have faith in you,” Wakatoshi said. “You won’t be exactly the queen my mother is, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be good at it anyway. There’s more than one way to rule a kingdom well.”

Satori considered him before breaking into a smile.

“Let’s go get food, yeah?” he said. “I’m starving.”

Wakatoshi smiled back, speeding up as they walked to the kitchen. He really did think Satori had potential. He was resilient, and that was one of the best qualities a queen could have. His mother would see soon enough that he’d made the right choice in courtmate. Satori would prove it to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Ushijima prepares for war


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now beat the drums of war

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot more semishira development. Also more ushiten development. Look at them getting there. Also, the library is exactly what I want right now. Let me nest in peace.

Wakatoshi wished he could’ve spent more time shadowing his mother with Satori, but unfortunately he didn’t have that luxury. He didn’t have much time in the citadel, and the time he did have had to be spent in preparation.

They were at war.

He was practically glued to Kenjirou’s side, and Eita was never far off either. Shirabu had essentially taken over a corner of the library, maps covering the walls and pieces all over the table. Even when Wakatoshi left to talk to other people that needed to prepare, like Goshiki and Reon, Eita and Kenjirou didn’t leave the library, going over every plan they could think of and refining everything to make the best strategy possible.

Wakatoshi was grateful that they’d settled their differences long ago. They had different styles of strategy – Kenjirou’s refined by years of the best education the citadel could offer and a ruthless drive to win whatever the cost, and Eita’s forged by years on the battlefield amongst his brothers in arms with a fierce desire to save as many as possible. They’d butted heads before, and very nearly consumed the kingdom with the sparks that flew from both of them, until they’d learned how to work together.

Now they tempered each other, Eita vetoing plans that were too costly, and Kenjirou making tough calls and brilliant decisions that led them to victory. Wakatoshi may have the title of commander of the army now that his father was injured, but Eita and Kenjirou were the brains of the army. Without them, all would be lost.

“I’m just worried about where we place you,” Kenjirou sighed, a few days before it was time to leave.

“Why me?” Wakatoshi asked.

“Didn’t you hear about how this started?” Eita asked. Wakatoshi shook his head. Eita’s eyes got dark. “Itachiyama’s prince came down and slaughtered the commander of Datekou.”

“Sakusa?”

“Yes,” Kenjirou confirmed. “He said to tell you that he was coming and he wants his revenge.”

“Revenge for the last war?” Wakatoshi asked, though he already knew the answer. He’d always known that one day he would have to answer to Sakusa’s wrath. The other prince had screamed this at him three years ago, blood dripping from the lower half of his face.

“So I just want to make sure we don’t put you in too vulnerable a position,” Kenjirou went on. “Obviously we can’t keep you completely out of the action, or even too far away to issue commands, but we know he’s going to be going after you specifically. We can’t give him an opening.”

He and Eita bent their heads over the table again, moving pieces and occasionally bickering about a plan the other suggested. Wakatoshi watched them in silence.

Wakatoshi knew his duties, but he still tried to spend as much time with Satori as possible. If nothing else, he wanted to assure the omega that he still wanted him there. He knew his mother could be cold and foreboding, and he didn’t want her scaring Satori off before he found a reason to stay.

His mother let Satori off from his lessons early on the day before he had to leave, maybe as a kindness to him. Wakatoshi walked with him around the castle, unable to really wander, but still wanting to show Satori around as much as possible.

Then it occurred to him. He hadn’t shown Satori the room that would interest him the most.

“Do you want to see the library?” he asked. Satori’s eyes lit up.

“Is it as good as the library in Seijoh?” he asked. Wakatoshi considered.

“It’s about the same size,” he said. “I’ve never been unable to find a book I wanted.”

“Lead the way, then,” Satori told him, tucking his hand under Wakatoshi’s elbow. It was little gestures like that that told Wakatoshi Satori was probably better trained than he let on. He clearly knew the proper etiquette of a high class noble, and since he had been educated with the crown prince, he probably knew more about running a kingdom than even he gave himself credit for.

Wakatoshi led him, quietly contemplative. Satori looked tired, but not beaten down. He was working hard, but it was work he was capable of – though he’d complained to Wakatoshi that finances weren’t his favorite things. Though he could do the math, he didn’t have a mind for it like he had a mind for stories. Wakatoshi assured him that as long as he was up to the task, he was perfectly allowed to dislike it. Satori had laughed.

Wakatoshi pushed open the doors to the library. He heard Satori gasp next to him. Looking down, he saw the omega’s eyes wide with wonder, staring at the high shelves and painted ceiling.

“You didn’t tell me it was this beautiful,” he said, voice hushed.

“It’s not much like Seijoh’s library,” Wakatoshi shrugged. In truth, he hadn’t been sure Satori would like it. It was a far cry from the open and airy space where Satori had settled in a window seat to catch fleeting summer breezes. Instead, the windows were stained glass, only able to open part of the way during the summer to let in the near constant breezes on the north side of the citadel. The paneling and furniture were much darker than the pastel colors of Seijoh, and the lights were limited to a few reading areas to save fuel for the coming winter.

“It’s cozy,” Satori said, sounding pleased. Wakatoshi remembered that it was a favorite haunt of most of the castle omegas during the coldest months. It was usually the warmest room in the castle, directly over the hot springs under the castle and with the biggest fireplace. There was an almost unlimited supply of blankets stocked around the couches and chairs in the reading areas, although that was true of most of the castle during the winter. Stopping and sitting for any length of time usually required some extra layers, the lack of movement allowing the bitter cold to settle in.

“I’m glad you like it,” Wakatoshi told him. “If I remember correctly, fiction is on that side,” he pointed to the right side of the room, “and nonfiction is on the other side. And over there,” he pointed to the nearest left corner, “are the books on history. In case you’re curious.”

“Thank you,” Satori said softly. He looked more pleased than Wakatoshi felt he deserved. He’d just shown Satori the library, it wasn’t anything special.

“I’m going to check in on Kenjirou and Eita…oh,” he trailed off, seeing them asleep. Eita was settled in a chair at the table with the biggest map and the pieces that represented legions, and Kenjirou was curled in his lap. They were only remaining upright by leaning on each other, Kenjirou’s head tucked under Eita’s chin and Eita’s arms around his waist.

It would probably be a long time before he saw either of them this peaceful again.

Wakatoshi moved forward to drape a blanket over them. Neither of them would sleep well until this war was over, especially not separated from each other. They deserved what little rest they could get.

“They fit together much better like this,” Satori whispered. Wakatoshi turned to look at him. He was considering the pair carefully. Wakatoshi knew he’d seen one of their famous arguments.

“They’re actually a very good pair,” he said. “Arguing is just…their way.”

“I’ll say,” Satori replied softly.

“They’ve been together for a long time,” Wakatoshi went on. “They only got married last winter, but they’ve been together since the last war. They’re the best partners I’ve ever seen; they’re brilliant together.”

Eita’s eyes fluttered open, taking in Wakatoshi and Satori. His hair was coming out of its ponytail and falling all over his face. He gave them both a look meant to silence with a meaningful look at Kenjirou.

“We have a plan,” he murmured, careful not to disturb his mate.

“You both agree on it?” Wakatoshi asked.

“It’s mostly his plan,” Eita conceded.

“And you agree with it?”

“He’s getting better at finding paths with the least loss of life,” Eita laughed softly. “I didn’t have to do much vetoing. I had a few suggestions, but he says even with those there’s an acceptable chance of success. His words.”

“Thank you,” Wakatoshi said. “Do you want help getting him to your room?”

“I’ve got him,” Eita said, standing carefully. Kenjirou made a whiny sound, but Eita shushed him and arranged his legs around his waist so the omega was slumped against his front. He got his hands under his mate’s thighs, cradling him. “I’ll be ready to go in the morning. You say your goodbyes too.”

Wakatoshi nodded, turning to walk Satori back to his room. They walked in silence again, although this time it was a lot less comfortable.

“You’re going to war in the morning,” Satori said, and Wakatoshi wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. He wasn’t even sure how long he would be gone. “Promise you’ll come back?”

“Of course,” Wakatoshi assured him. “Kenjirou and Eita are the best we have. They didn’t have time to make a real plan when my father went up there, but now that they have, we can’t lose.”

“I heard that the prince of the enemy is after you specifically,” Satori said quietly. Wakatoshi didn’t bother asking how he knew that. He’d chosen Satori partially for his intelligence, and the omega didn’t seem like the type to let a line of inquiry die until he was done with it.

“He can try,” Wakatoshi said. “I’ve fought him before. I can do it again. I’ll come back to you.”

Satori considered him for a moment before stepping forward to wrap his arms around Wakatoshi’s middle.

“Promise you’ll come back?” he asked again. Wakatoshi returned the hug, heart thumping.

“Promise.”

He retreated to his own room, lying awake most of the night staring at his ceiling. He never could sleep well before going off anywhere, but now he had the added thoughts of Satori bouncing around in his mind. He was almost certain the omega wasn’t in love with him, though they did share a close friendship. That was fine. He would have time to court Satori to his own satisfaction when this was all over. Even without considering Satori’s Seijoh heritage, he deserved better than a hasty courtship in the middle of a war.

He woke up, mind somehow less cluttered after spending the night organizing his thoughts, and gathered his things. He met Eita walking down to the entrance hall, hair pulled neatly into a ponytail once again and expression set.

“Did you kiss your omega goodbye?” Eita teased him lightly.

“No, I…” Wakatoshi trailed off at the sharp look Eita threw him.

“That’s not very nice of you,” he said. “Wait, have you…have you kissed him at all?”

Wakatoshi shook his head. Eita sighed.

“Gods above, you’re hopeless. Come on. You’re kissing him before we leave.”

They didn’t have to go far. Satori was already up, waiting to say goodbye to them. He was dressed, and his face was carefully neutral.

“Come back safe,” he said simply. Wakatoshi lifted his hand to Satori’s jaw – this shouldn’t be hard, he’d done this before – and leaned in slowly enough that the redhead would have time to pull away of he wanted.

He didn’t, and their lips met. It was short, though obvious that both of them had kissed before. Wakatoshi pulled back, stroking his thumb over Satori’s cheekbone.

“Promise,” he said. Satori bit his lip, but nodded.

As they were riding out of the castle gates, Wakatoshi turned to Eita.

“Thank you,” he said. “I see why everyone makes a big deal about farewell kisses. They give you something to come home to.”

“As if you weren’t going to already,” Eita scoffed.

“Is that what you do with Kenjirou?” Wakatoshi asked.

“Kenjirou gives me a whole lot more to come home to,” Eita told him with a grin. Wakatoshi must have made a face, because Eita started laughing. “Don’t ask questions you’re not prepared to hear the answers to. Just focus on coming home to your omega.”

Wakatoshi faced forward. His fight was ahead of him, but even now, he itched to return to where his heart truly lay.

To Satori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: the ones left behind.   
> By the way, ages: Tendou (18), Ushijima (24), Semi (24), Shirabu (20), Goshiki (19), Kawanishi (21), Reon and Ai (40's), queen (50's)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ones left behind band together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had kind of intended to have this chapter and the next ready, since this chapter and the next kind of go together, but next week is going to be Hell and I have a lot of school work to do. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, since it's essentially this chapter but from Ushijima's POV. Enjoy the beginnings of Feelings.

_Dear Satori,_

_It’s still weird that you’re not here. You’d think a month would be enough time to get used to it, but I guess we’ve had longer to get used to having you here. Hajime says to tell you that he and Maiya are still ready to come beat someone up if you need them to. He’s been spending a lot of time practicing with Tobio. He’s going to be a soldier someday, wait and see. I don’t think he’s forgiven me yet, but it’s better. We’re getting there._

_Tobio wants to write something for you on the back. I hope everything’s going well for you up there. It’ll be nice to deal with you when we’re both rulers._

_Tooru_

Satori turned the paper over, seeing the childish scrawl that he doubted Tobio would ever have the patience to fashion into a flowing script like his older brother’s.

_I miss you. I’ve been practicing with Hajime more. He says I’m getting good. What’s the castle up there like? I want to come visit you soon. Tooru is being nicer to me. Being an omega isn’t so bad, I guess. Matsukawa-san says I can still be a soldier if I want._

Satori smirked at the disjointed flow of words, no structure. It was good to hear that the brothers were getting along better.

He scrawled a quick reply, telling them he was fine and that he missed them too. He told them about the library and how different the citadel was from Seijoh’s capital city.

Then he turned to the letter that he’d been saving for last, the one that bore the seal of Rowanwood. He was trying not to get his hopes up too high. It wasn’t certain that his mother had sent it.

He felt something in his chest unclamp when he unsealed the letter and saw his mother’s handwriting.

_My dearest Satori,_

_I was so glad to hear that someone finally came to court you properly, and a prince, no less! You sound happy. He sounds like a good man. He’ll make you a good husband, but more importantly, he’ll make you happy._

_I already know you won’t make the same mistakes I did, because you chose your path without any force from anyone else. That is all I could have asked of life for you. Knowing that you are happy is all I need._

_I wish you luck in your courtship and marriage. May he always treat you well and may he give you children to love. You will be a magnificent queen, I can already tell. Never doubt that I believe in you, and that I love you._

_Take care of yourself, darling. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to come visit you someday. Perhaps you’ll invite me up for your wedding? I’d understand if you don’t want to see me, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to._

_With love,_

_Mama_

He couldn’t write back fast enough, assuring her that he would love nothing more than to see her again, that she was welcome here any time. He wished he could see her reaction when the letter arrived with an eagle.

It was time to begin his lessons with the queen for the day. While she wasn’t any warmer towards him, they had come to some kind of stasis. He worked hard and she did what she needed to do. They got through it.

She was still taking him through the finer points of finances, which he was doing his best to bite his tongue and deal with. He wasn’t good at math like he was good at reading, and it was a lot of work. He did it without complaint, though. That was the price of the queen’s grudging approval.

The best part of his day was still when he was let free to wander the castle. He’d had fun for a few weeks exploring all the nooks and crannies of the place. Sometimes he ran into the people of the castle, and they were friendly enough if they weren’t in the middle of something.

The first person he ran into was Ai, and when he did, she was practicing with a sword. Satori watched her with interest until she noticed him. While it was completely normal to have omega soldiers down in Seijoh, he knew not every kingdom had such complete equality. Ai was so much smaller and older than the soldiers he was used to; he hadn’t expected her to be a fighter.

“You look like you’re thinking something unflattering,” she said when she finally noticed him, though she didn’t look mad.

“You just don’t seem the kind to fight,” he told her honestly. She grinned at him.

“What makes you say that?”

Satori considered her. There really wasn’t a way to answer that without being offensive, was there?

“Has it occurred to you that the ones of us who stay behind aren’t necessarily held back because we’re unable to fight?” she asked. “I was born here in the castle. I’ve lived here all my life. There’s probably not a person alive who knows her better than I do, and no one else is better suited to her defense. I’m here because I’m the captain of the guard. That’s why I don’t join my mate in battle.”

Satori had found a healthy new respect, and maybe a little fear, for the tiny omega woman. She raised her sword to him then.

“Do you know how to fight?”

Satori held up his hands.

“Not really,” he admitted. “I know how to use a knife, but not a sword. I’m better with a bow and arrow, though.”

“You really were trained with a crown prince who was never meant to see battle, weren’t you?” she asked. “A knife is the weapon of someone who stays off the battlefield.”

Satori shrugged. He’d never felt much of an inclination to be a soldier, though the king had offered to have him trained for it. He preferred his life in relative safety.

“If you want to learn, I’m usually in this part of the castle,” she offered. “My mate is the best sparring partner, but if he’s gone, you should do just fine. Oh, and if you see my daughters getting into mischief, let me know. Kanon and Mamiko can be real troublemakers.”

“Will do,” Satori promised.

The next person he ran into was Kenjirou. It wasn’t like the other omega was hard to find. Kenjirou was always in the library, pouring over the information that eagles carried him from the battlefield, drawing up plans, and looking over his maps. He wasn’t very talkative, but it was kind of nice to sit with someone while he was reading.

Kenjirou had a remarkable amount of awareness, despite how little attention he seemed to be paying. Satori only figured this out after Kenjirou started addressing him.

“Sit,” he’d said, not looking up from his work. Satori froze, his search for a place to sit close enough to Kenjirou for comfort but far enough away that he wasn’t bothering the other forgotten. “You’ve been wandering around for ten minutes. Just sit here if you want to sit here.”

Satori approached slowly. Kenjirou seemed like the type who got annoyed easily, which normally would make Satori want to poke at him, but he didn’t want to start annoying people before he really got settled in. He settled next to Kenjirou on the couch, pulling his feet up and putting his book on his lap. He didn’t open it, though.

“What are you doing?” he asked instead.

“Planning,” Kenjirou said absently, moving his pen around listlessly. He seemed to have hit a block. “I want this over as soon as possible. The sooner it’s done, the sooner everything can go back to normal.”

“I thought you already had a plan,” Satori said.

“We do, but things change pretty quickly when you’re fighting,” Kenjirou told him. “There’s things I just can’t know about every single aspect of a battle without being there. I mostly talk back and forth with Eita. He sends me information about the area so I can refine the plan, and sometimes he has crazy ideas that he pitches, which occasionally have to potential to work. I can’t see those kinds of things from here, but I need to be here to stay objective. It’s hard to see the entire picture if I’m too close.”

“And when was the last time you ate anything?” Satori asked. He didn’t think he’d seen the other leave the library…ever, actually. Kenjirou gave him an unimpressed look.

“You sound just like Eita,” he complained. “I’m fine.”

His stomach chose that moment to growl. Satori raised an eyebrow as Kenjirou scowled.

“You have a few minutes to come get a bite to eat, don’t you?” Satori cajoled, trying to make the offer sound good. In truth, he was starting to worry about Kenjirou, considering he never saw the other omega outside of the library.

“I’m busy.” Kenjirou tried to brush him off, but Satori was stubborn.

“So busy that you can’t take five minutes to eat?”

Kenjirou looked like he wanted to keep arguing even though he wasn’t going to win. Satori just grinned at him. He was good at getting what he wanted through being stubborn.

Kenjirou shoveled his food down in the kitchen, trying to eat and be done as fast as possible. Satori laughed at him and earned himself another scowl and an insult. They went back to the library together, and this time Satori didn’t hesitate to sit next to Kenjirou on the couch by his work.

Kenjirou leaned into his side.

“Don’t say anything,” he threatened, before Satori even had a chance to open his mouth. “I’m just tired, and you’re warm.”

“Is it hard being away from your mate?” Satori asked quietly. Kenjirou was silent for long enough that Satori thought he wasn’t going to answer.

“I worry,” he finally responded, voice a whisper. “I know I shouldn’t. It’s not like he’s never gone off to fight. It’s kind of his job. I should be used to this by now, but…”

“You miss him.”

“Tell anyone and they’ll never find your body.”

Satori snorted, but wrapped an arm around Kenjirou’s shoulders. Kenjirou let his head rest on Satori’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Tendou-san,” he said stiffly. He probably wasn’t used to being comforted.

“Satori,” Satori corrected. “If I’m calling you Kenjirou, you should call me Satori.”

“Satori,” Kenjirou repeated. “You don’t have to worry so much about Ushijima-sama. He knows what he’s doing. It’s not the first time he’s gone to war either.”

“What makes you think I’m worried?”

“Aren’t you?” Kenjirou sounded unsure. “I thought that was why you were hanging around. I don’t know exactly what’s between you two, but you wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t care about him, right?”

Satori was quiet. He was worried, though he was doing his best to hide it. War was scary. He was perfectly reasonable, being worried. Even Kenjirou was worried, and he’d seen his mate through battles before this.

Everything would be alright.

“Do you want to send him a message?” Kenjirou offered. “I’m about to send an eagle out. There’s a little room at the bottom of the scroll, if you want to use it.”

Satori accepted the pen offered to him gratefully, carefully writing a message in his best handwriting. He didn’t have much space, and he wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to say in this kind of thing. He wasn’t brave enough to try something like a love poem on battle plans everyone would see.

_Come home soon. ~Satori_

That was fine, wasn’t it? It was what he felt, and the best he could do with the space he’d been given. Kenjirou tied the scroll to an eagle’s leg, letting it fly out the window. He turned back to Satori.

“You can…keep coming back here, if you want,” he offered haltingly. “Most people aren’t good at sitting still and being quiet, but it’s kind of nice to have the company as long as you don’t bother me.”

“Sure thing, Kenjirou!” Satori promised with a grin. Kenjirou blushed a bit, but turned back to his work. “Oh no. You’ve sent off your eagle. You need to sleep.”

“You’re not my mother.”

“What would your mother say if she saw you staying up all hours of the night?”

Kenjirou glared at him, but let his head drop.

“Fine. Fine!” he snapped. “I’ll go to bed. But just for a few hours!”

He stalked off, muttering under his breath about “overbearing mother hens”. From what Satori had gathered, Kenjirou needed a lot of mothering from his mate, which was even funnier because Kenjirou was the omega and Eita was the alpha.

He looked out the window after the path of the eagle. Wakatoshi would come home soon, wouldn’t he? Satori felt his chest squeeze a little. He wanted the alpha back here sooner rather than later. He missed his…courtmate. And fiancé. He guessed Wakatoshi was his fiancé too.

He just wanted everyone to come home safe already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Ushijima's POV and the ones that left


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle happens. Trigger warnings for blood and death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't track time very well in this, but just know it's taking place over the span of months, as is the last chapter. It's finally time for the battle to happen and for me to use the knowledge I gained in Ancient Warfare class.

“Make sure the watch is rotating every three hours. I want fresh eyes on the north. And put extra men on the more obscured points. If an attack comes, that’s probably where it’ll be.”

Futakuchi nodded. He wasn’t much older than Wakatoshi himself, but he took the orders willingly. The new captain of Datekou was still adjusting to his position, if his expression was anything to go by. His mate and right hand stood silently at his shoulder, eyes taking in everything but revealing nothing. If Wakatoshi hadn’t already been given a healthy respect for omegas from his mother, Ai, and Satori, Aone Takanobu would have cemented that for him.

His story was one whispered in awe. An omega considered ineligible for marriage because of his looks, he’d joined Datekou as soon as he’d been legally considered an adult by Shiratorizawa law at eighteen. He’d risen through the ranks, now only second to the commander himself, and mated to the same. His was the story omegas whispered in reverence: one of them strong enough to command the respect of fellow soldiers.

“They’re handling this well,” Eita commented. “Losing your captain is never easy.”

“I wonder if Sakusa killed Moniwa knowing he was the captain of Datekou,” Wakatoshi mused.

“He might’ve just killed anyone to send a message,” Eita countered. “Datekou doesn’t identify their captain visually. It would be impossible to tell which they are on the battlefield unless you already knew, so unless Itachiyama somehow figured out Moniwa was captain during the last war and Sakusa learned to recognize him by face without ever having been near him in battle, there’s no way he should’ve known he was killing the captain. Besides, if he really wanted to take out their chain of command he would’ve killed Futakuchi too. Anyone who knew Moniwa knew it was no secret he was grooming Futakuchi to be his successor.”

Wakatoshi was quiet at that.

“You think I’m right, but you worry anyway,” Eita sighed. Wakatoshi glanced at him. “Don’t give me that look. We’ve fought together since we were young, I’d be disappointed if I couldn’t understand you by now. If it makes you feel better, I worry too. If I thought he would agree to it, I’d ask Futakuchi to hang back from the front lines with you.”

“You don’t think he’d agree to it?”

“You think he’s not out for blood after he watched his father figure die?”

“Fair point.”

They walked in silence, Wakatoshi looking out into the frozen north. No matter that it was the end of summer, the snow never left the ground this far north in the mountains. The Iron Wall protected the northern border of Shiratorizawa, just beyond the edge of the mountains. It extended between the gap left between two peaks, Jin and Soekawa, nearly one hundred miles in length. The extra men they’d brought with them would be important for manning it; Sakusa could attack from anywhere.

“Do you really think your plan will work?” Wakatoshi asked. “Attacking first?”

The Iron Wall was, above all else, a line of defense, meant to repel, not attack.

“We have to force them to meet us in a place of our choosing,” Eita said. “One hundred miles is a lot of wall to guard, and a lot of places aren’t favorable for us. If we can force them to meet us in one of the places Kenjirou and I planned out, we can lay a trap for them. We can win this with less loss on our side.”

“Is that you talking or Kenjirou?”

“It’s both of us,” Eita said, sounding a little annoyed. “We’re not the same people we were three years ago. We decided on this together.”

“I’m sorry,” Wakatoshi said. Sometimes it was hard to shake the memory of Eita and Kenjirou screaming at each other, fighting tooth and nail for their plans to be accepted over the other’s.

“It’s fine,” Eita dismissed, almost too rude for a prince, but then, Eita had never cared much for status. He was lowborn. He considered Wakatoshi a friend, and that was all there was for him. “We didn’t exactly give ourselves a good reputation three years ago. Trust me on this, though. It’s clever, and it’ll work.”

“I trust you,” Wakatoshi assured him. “I’ve always trusted both you and Kenjirou. It’s nice that you trust each other now.”

“Worry about your own relationship,” Eita complained, but he was grinning. “Satori’s a good man. I like your taste.”

“You just like him because my mother doesn’t.”

“I like him because he looks like he won’t take shit and he’ll listen. He’ll go far with both of those. And he doesn’t look like the type to play politics. We don’t need a queen who’ll spend his time getting in pissing contests with the nobles.”

“I’m glad you approve,” Wakatoshi told him. “My mother certainly doesn’t.”

“Not much she can do about it now,” Eita grinned harder. “You already brought him up here. He’s already attached to you, and you’re head over heels for him. He’s not going anywhere.”

“You think he’s attached?”

Eita gave him a look, which was definitely too rude even from a general to a prince, not that Wakatoshi cared.

“He left his home and he hasn’t run screaming from your mother. I’d call him pretty attached.”

Wakatoshi waved him off. Courting Satori properly was something he would do once this was over. For now, he needed his attention here.

It wasn’t long before smoke from fires was spotted a few miles west of where they were stationed in the very center of the Iron Wall. They moved down to that watchtower, captained by a woman called Nametsu Mai. While women were allowed to join Datekou, they were few and far between. However, there was no doubt Nametsu deserved to be there. She was a beta who stood her ground like an alpha, weathered and lined face steady and hair pulled neatly into a low ponytail. Wakatoshi decided on sight not to cross her.

“We caught campfire smoke in that direction,” she told him, pointing.

“You can see through that fog?” he asked. She turned to him, wise far beyond his years. She was older even than Moniwa had been, and her eyes told that story as no words could.

“I’ve survived seven wars on this Wall,” she told him. “I know how to read the signs. The bulk of their army should be over there.”

“Then we’ll lead them farther west,” Eita broke in. “We’re closest to the second of the two places Kenjirou and I planned for. It’s a flat plain with a river to restrict one side of cavalry. We can use this.”

Wakatoshi looked out into the distance. He could see the line of trees, cleared miles away from the Wall to give no advancing army cover from the watchful eyes of Datekou. August was drawing to a close, and it was already growing colder. Winter was the worst time to wage war this far north, though Wakatoshi guessed Sakusa had planned it that way. Itachiyama would be used to the cold. Shiratorizawa rarely fought in the dead of winter.

They had to finish this fast if they had any hope of surviving.

Eita frantically exchanged messages with Kenjirou, now that they knew which plan they were going with. The first move was to meet Itachiyama from the west and retreat, hopefully forcing them to follow. They would go from there.

They rode out along the river that cut almost straight north, to the west of the campfire by about fifteen miles and north of the wall by over fifty. Wakatoshi was going with the smaller force to meet Itachiyama, in the back and away from the fighting but with the single eagle feather in his helmet that marked him as the crown prince. He was the bait.

He saw a scout go running as they approached, but that was fine. They’d never expected to sneak up on the other army unawares. Soon enough, they were facing down the line of the other army in a clear plain.

“Draw,” Nametsu’s clear voice rang out. She was the leader of the small archery force they’d brought with them, the best shot that Datekou had to offer. “Hold.”

Eita held his arm up, waiting for Itachiyama to move, though it seemed they were unwilling to make the first offense. Upon seeing that, he swung his arm down.

“Loose!” Nametsu cried, and a rain of arrows fell on the other army. Most got their shields up in time, but for the unlucky few who didn’t or who didn’t cover themselves well enough, arrows pierced and killed them. A shout rose up from that side. The first blood had been drawn, and now they craved blood in return. Wakatoshi couldn’t have picked Sakusa out from the crowd, but he knew the other prince was over there somewhere, thirsting for his own death.

“Retreat!” Eita called as Itachiyama started to advance. They were all cavalry but the archers, who had left their horses to make their shots steadier. They swung up onto the mounts that were held for them by others, and turned to retreat. Wakatoshi, originally in the back, was now leading the charge back for their camp, Itachiyama following.

Luckily, they’d started the retreat early enough to be out of firing range, able to focus instead on leading their enemy. It worked near perfectly, although they were forced to ride farther north than they’d intended. Itachiyama was probably aiming to cut them off from the wall, perhaps not realizing this was not the full extent of their forces in the north.

Still, they lost no one to arrows, and managed to make the river. There was just enough light left in the day to cross it, though not enough for Itachiyama to follow, giving them respite for the night.

Eita wrote furiously on a letter for Kenjirou, telling him of their current situation. Other than being too far north and on the wrong side of the river, things were going according to plan. They only needed to get farther south and meet up with the rest of their forces, and they could trap Itachiyama.

Things were never that simple, however. Itachiyama crossed the river earlier than expected, and their own forces couldn’t get away fast enough. They had no choice but to turn and face their enemy. It was a good thing Eita had written to the camp twenty miles south, early enough that some reinforcements could be sent. They formed their shield wall, infantry preparing to go against each other while cavalry took the wings.

There was little of Kenjirou’s clever planning or Eita’s brash strikes evident in their formation. This was just two phalanxes meeting as they had always done, and perhaps always would. The great push against each other, the stab of spears, as horses tried to outmaneuver each other.

They could hardly turn and run, not without being trampled. Instead, their only chance was to slowly step backwards without letting their line break, tempting their enemy to follow them farther south. They needed the large open plain by the river. With the lack of anything behind them, Itachiyama would assume no trickery for no possibility of an ambush.

Day after day, they stepped back, carefully, losing as few men as they could. This was not their final battle, and they didn’t push to end it here.

Finally, they managed to give themselves enough space to get their entire force across the river, ready to retreat the rest of the way to where the bulk of their forces had made camp. It was a comfort to be inside a palisade, more protection than they had been offered since they first encountered Itachiyama.

Tomorrow, Kenjirou and Eita’s plan would be put into action. After nearly a month and a half of riding and fighting and planning, it was time to end this. The plan was dangerous, and held the potential of annihilation if it failed, but if it succeeded, this threat from Itachiyama would be over.

“There’s something for you,” Eita told him, holding out a scroll. Wakatoshi scanned over the neat lines of Kenjirou’s handwriting to find something different at the bottom.

_Come home soon. ~Satori_

“Still think he’s not attached?” Eita asked. Wakatoshi’s face felt warm. He would have to talk, really talk, to Satori once all this was over.

They placed Datekou on the flanks. They were battle hardened and would not crumble. Wakatoshi himself was in the center behind the line of infantry, once again playing bait. He would not stay bait today. Today, he would fight.

Itachiyama advanced, all of their forces concentrated on the middle. Just as Eita had said they would. The middle of the line bowed in, letting Itachiyama come closer, as the sides started to wrap around. To make their lines deeper, Itachiyama had had to make them shorter.

Cavalry was useless next to the river, and the cavalry on the other flank was fighting, not that Wakatoshi was close enough to know how that was going. Instead, he focused on falling back, letting Itachiyama walk into their trap.

And then their enemy was surrounded, and they stopped retreating, instead pressing forward as chaos reigned from the attacks from the back. Maybe it was his imagination, but Wakatoshi swore he could hear Futakuchi whooping with glee.

He pressed into the fray, stabbing forward and feeling as men died on the end of his spear. Everything had gone perfectly to plan. This battle was theirs.

As he pressed farther forward with his line, Eita close to him, the Itachiyama forces dwindling, Wakatoshi started to feel numb. This was wholesale slaughter on a scale that not even the last war had been, and Itachiyama’s forces had to be much smaller. There was no way such a small kingdom could have rebuilt more than this in three years.

Wakatoshi was not a prince, not an alpha, not a lover or anything else in those moments. He thrust. He killed. That was all.

Until he heard a familiar scream. Until he turned to see Eita falling to the ground, helmet off, blood on his face. Until he saw a man with only half a helm, covering his mouth but leaving his head bare.

Only covering the scar across his mouth that Wakatoshi had given him three years ago.

Wakatoshi and Sakusa faced each other, still amid the chaos around them, before charging forward. Wakatoshi put himself between Eita and Sakusa, holding his shield in place and readying his spear. Left-handed, he was useless in a shield wall, but as a solo fighter, he was damn near unbeatable.

He wouldn’t be beaten here.

Sakusa was silent, but his eyes held hatred. Only one of them was going to survive this day. They clashed, shields ringing and spears barely missing their targets.

Sakusa was faster than he’d been three years ago.

They met, again and again, spears ripped from their hands and forcing them to draw their swords. Wakatoshi felt the fatigue, felt his mind going numb again, but he couldn’t stop now. Kill Sakusa, and this ended.

Sakusa wheeled around him, too fast to be tracked, and attacked his vulnerable right side from the back. Wakatoshi couldn’t move fast enough to stop the sword from piercing his shoulder, dislocating it and leaving his shield useless.

All he could do was spin in one last desperate move that ruined his right arm even more, swinging his sword along the same path he had three years ago.

It was all he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Home time. Time for home.  
> Also, for the fellow history nerds, this was loosely based off the Battle of Cannae.   
> I will be going on a road trip this weekend (4 hour bus ride end my life) and my goal is to get this fic as close to done as possible on the trip so be on the lookout for that!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A queen is rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking pity on you guys for that cliffhanger. Have the next chapter.

Satori was ready to return to his room for the night when the news came to them.

The army was coming home victorious. The long months away had been worth it. The war was won.

Satori had to keep himself from sprinting outside into the snow that now covered the citadel. Wakatoshi and everyone else would be back soon. There was no need to rush out and meet them. Still, he couldn’t keep himself from sitting by a window that faced the front of the castle, watching for the army to return.

Kenjirou was no better, lingering in the same room and trying to look like he was doing anything else. Even Ai was spending more time in the front part, looking out for her mate, and her daughters sat with Satori by the window.

All of them were on their feet and sprinting for the entrance when the army came into sight. Not even the glare the queen sent him could slow Satori down. The minute the army entered the courtyard, Satori was waiting for them.

Kawanishi and Goshiki were easy enough to spot, and Reon was practically mobbed by Ai, Kanon, and Mamiko, but Wakatoshi and Eita were nowhere in sight. Kawanishi and Goshiki were coming to where Satori and Kenjirou stood, looking around and feeling lost.

“They’ve already been taken up to the infirmary through a side entrance,” Goshiki explained. Satori’s eyes widened, and he felt Kenjirou tense next to him. Without another word, they were whirling on their heels, sprinting back into the castle. “Wait!”

But they would not wait.

Satori knew where the infirmary was. He’d found it a few times while exploring the castle. He was faster than Kenjirou, outstripping the other omega as they careened through the halls. Satori almost skidded past the door as he slid into place outside the infirmary to look in, fearing the worst.

Wakatoshi and Eita looked up at the commotion, and Satori let his head drop in relief, hand pressed to his chest as he tried to catch his breath. Kenjirou nearly knocked him over when he made it a few seconds later, making a small strangled sound when he focused on his husband.

Most of Eita’s face was covered in a bandage, though he seemed alive and well. Wakatoshi was reclined in a bed, arm in a sling and bandages covering a few cuts here and there, but looking largely unharmed.

Kenjirou rushed forward, standing in front of his mate, as Satori stepped in to stand hesitantly by Wakatoshi’s bed. Before he could stop himself, he’d pressed along Wakatoshi’s unbandaged left side, tucking his face into the crook of the alpha’s neck.

“I was worried,” he said. “They told me you were injured.”

“Not that badly,” Wakatoshi assured him, left hand reaching up to stroke Satori’s back. “I’ll live just fine.”

“You fucking _idiot!_ ”

The outburst made them both look up with a start. Kenjirou had his hands balled into fists at his sides, shaking and staring Eita down.

“How _dare_ you try to take on Sakusa by yourself?” he demanded, scrubbing a fist across his eyes where, Satori was shocked to see, angry tears were forming. “Your entire face is bandaged up, how _bad_ did you hurt yourself?”

“It ended when we took out their commander,” Eita explained quietly, reaching placating hands for his bristling mate. “It’s war, you know it’s dangerous. I saw a chance to end it, so I went for it.”

“ _Dammit_ ,” Kenjirou snapped. He was out of responses. Eita finally managed to take both of his hands and pull him to sit down. He wrapped his husband in a hug, letting Kenjirou hide his furious tears in his shoulder.

“I’m alright, Kenji,” he said, almost too softly for Satori and Wakatoshi to hear. “I’m alright.”

Kenjirou whispered something unintelligible into Eita’s shoulder, gripping his mate’s shirt. Eita laughed a bit.

“I’m going to have a pretty big scar, though,” he admitted sheepishly. “Are you still going to love me when I’m not as pretty?”

Kenjirou pulled back, eyes open in naked shock. Then he punched Eita in the side. Eita leaned away, grimacing.

“ _Fuck_ , Kenji, there’s a bruise there,” he swore, holding his side. Kenjirou made another strangled sound, hands hovering carefully like he wasn’t sure where to touch. Eventually, he leaned back into his mate’s shoulder, gripping his shirt again and burying his face where his alpha’s scent would be the strongest.

“Of course I’ll still love you, idiot,” he muttered. “I would’ve killed you already if I was going to get rid of you.”

“That’s comforting,” Eita snorted, but he wrapped his arms around Kenjirou all the same. Satori turned his attention back to Wakatoshi.

“What…happened?” he asked haltingly, trying to sum up everything he wanted to know with words he didn’t have.

“We led them into a trap,” Wakatoshi said. “Eita and Kenjirou’s plan worked. It was perfect. They never planned for us to do this without casualties. Eita and I were both injured trying to end Sakusa. He got Eita first, and he almost got me. He thought he beat me, but he forgot that my backhand would be coming from his left instead of his right.”

“So he’s dead?” Satori asked.

“He’s dead,” Wakatoshi confirmed. “I doubt we’ll have another serious threat from the north for a long time. As far as we know, Sakusa was their only remaining prince.”

“Why did he want to kill you so badly?”

Wakatoshi sighed. He looked so tired.

“I killed his father three years ago,” Wakatoshi said, voice barely above a whisper. “I almost killed him. I should have. It would have been kinder. Instead, I gave him a scar to remember the lesson I thought he’d learn.

“I guess it’s fitting. After all, he killed my father.”

Satori looked up to the red curtains, a color for warding off darkness in Shiratorizawa, that protected the king. He still hadn’t woken up after being mortally wounded by Itachiyama.

“The king isn’t dead,” Satori argued. The _yet_ went unspoken. A part of Satori mourned that he wouldn’t be able to meet Wakatoshi’s father. Would he have approved where the queen had not? Satori had no reason to think so, but he could still dream of a future that would never be.

“He hated me so much,” Wakatoshi said, and Satori knew they weren’t talking about the king anymore. “I know I killed his father, but…I’ve never been hated that much before.”

“That’s how it works,” Satori said. “He was the hero in his own story. Someone has to be the villain.”

They were quiet after that.

Satori would have been content to spend his days in the infirmary, intimidating Wakatoshi and Eita into listening to the nurses and resting, but the queen had other ideas.

The king was going to die soon. Satori knew it. Wakatoshi knew it. Everyone knew it was a matter of _when_ , not _if_.

So the queen was forcing Satori to spend more and more time with her, while making it clear she didn’t think he was ready to step up into her position. Satori was _exhausted_ , following her around night and day, memorizing obscure laws and the names of the minor houses, learning how the castle and the kingdom was run, and every other possible detail in between. He would’ve committed murder for just a few moments alone to rally his thoughts that weren’t spent in sleep, but the queen kept him going from dawn until the candles were burning low.

He couldn’t care less about the color scheme of each major holiday at this point, not as exhausted as he was, and would it kill the queen to give him just a second to look over the family trees of the noble houses before quizzing him on them relentlessly?

“No, no, _no_ ,” the queen snapped, waving her hand to stop him from reciting a formal greeting to be given to the houses of the east. “You can’t be that exuberant, they’ll think you’re not taking this seriously. Are you taking this seriously? Is this just a big joke to you? Because if you can’t treat this like the important matter it is…”

“Enough,” Satori interrupted quietly, and then stronger, “ _enough._ ”

The queen froze in shock. He had never once spoken back to her. He’d always bitten his tongue and done everything she’d asked of him.

No more.

“I am not you,” Satori said evenly, hearing the unyielding steel in his voice. He’d drawn himself up to his full height, almost two heads taller than the queen. She looked far more fragile than she’d ever looked before. “I am never going to be you. I can never be anyone else but myself.

“But that is _enough_ ,” he continued, voice gaining strength. “I am enough. I can rule this kingdom as queen. I can do it as I am. I will not be the same kind of queen as you, but I can be the queen Shiratorizawa needs. I can _do_ this. So stop doubting me. Stop telling me I can’t. Stop making it so obvious you don’t approve of me. I know I’m not what you wanted. But I promise, if you’ll let me, I can be what you need.”

“He’s right,” a voice rang from the door. Satori turned to see Wakatoshi watching them. He’d probably heard the whole thing. For the first time, Satori felt a blush rising in his cheeks. He’d never given a speech like that to anyone, and he’d just told off the _queen_.

“Wakatoshi,” she began, but he cut her off.

“No,” he said. “You’ve never once given him a chance. He’s worked so hard for you. If you weren’t so blinded by the fact that he’s not Oikawa Tooru, you would see that he has something special. Train him like he deserves, not like you’re trying to force him into the mold you’ve decided a queen needs to fit into.”

The queen was silent, staring at the two of them presenting a united front. She sighed, and it was like everything holding her upright drained away. Satori was reminded for the first time that she was running the kingdom by herself while her mate died. Wakatoshi had told him that their marriage had been purely political, but surely after years of mating, there had to be some love there.

In the end, she was a woman. A powerful woman, to be sure, and perhaps the strongest person Satori had ever met, but she was still human, grieving her dying mate and trying to hold her kingdom together while training the person who would eventually replace her.

For the first time, Satori felt like he really saw her for who she was.

“Take the rest of the day off,” she told him quietly, raising her eyes to his and meeting them levelly. There was no more contempt there. “The gods know you’ve earned it. And tomorrow…I have something I’d like to show you.”

She left the two of them alone. Satori felt his breaths speed up, realizing what had just happened, but he had one more thing to say. He turned to Wakatoshi.

“I know I’m different,” he said. “I know I’m strange, and I know I’m anything but conventional. I know there are probably a thousand people better suited for the job. I know all of it. But I promise you this: I’m going to be a queen you can be proud of.”

Wakatoshi stepped forward, a smile spreading across his face. He lifted his uninjured left arm, hand reaching to stroke his thumb along Satori’s cheekbone. Satori leaned into the touch, feeling the warmth of his alpha’s hand soaking into his face. For just that moment, he felt perfectly calm. Everything would be alright. He’d learn what to do, and he’d do it with Wakatoshi by his side. He felt calm and loved in this moment. It was like a miracle.

Then Wakatoshi answered him.

“You already are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry about making everyone think Semi was dead. It was absolutely not my intention to tease his death. I just forgot to mention at the end of everything that he was. You know. Not dead.   
> Expect a deluge of chapters this weekend because I have nothing to do but write on my 4 hour bus ride.   
> Next time: a ball because I'm weak and gay


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a ball is had

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom two chapters completed because I was on a bus for 4 hours. Enjoy the Gay.

“Will you show me how to dance for a Shiratorizawa ball?”

Wakatoshi looked up. He’d just gotten his arm out of the sling, and Satori thought it was a good time to make sure he wouldn’t make a fool of himself.

“Of course,” Wakatoshi said, holding out his hand. Satori took it, letting Wakatoshi arrange them. The dance was simple enough, just a box step approximating a waltz. “You’re good at this.”

“It’s not so different from what we do in Seijoh,” Satori told him. They drew apart, and Satori bowed as was customary to thank someone for a dance. Wakatoshi was looking at him strangely when he lifted his head. “What?”

“You’re…really good at this,” Wakatoshi said, brow furrowed.

“I was educated with the crown prince, remember?” Satori replied. “I know I don’t act like it much, but I do know how to behave myself.”

“I can see that.”

Somehow, Satori felt like he’d done something right.

The queen was a lot easier to deal with. His outburst seemed to have earned him her respect, and it showed in how she interacted with him. The day after, she’d taken him to a room he’d never seen before, filled with portraits. She’d guided him from portrait to portrait, telling him the story of the person depicted and how they’d influenced history in the kingdom of Shiratorizawa. It was much nicer than her usual lessons. Stories were a lot more fun than finances.

However, it couldn’t all be fun. Satori was shadowing the queen as she prepared for the ball to celebrate their victory in the north so he could learn how to plan events like this in the future. It was exhausting, but at least it wasn’t because she was pushing him too hard anymore. She was working harder than him now.

He couldn’t believe how detail oriented everything had to be. Everything from the color scheme to the place settings to the musicians had to be selected and approved by her, and it all had to fit together like a woven tapestry.

Even the wood they used for the fires in the great hall had to be carefully decided upon. He supposed it made sense that a kingdom that spent half the year covered in snow would have opinions about different kinds of fire. The queen had had him help her with this, setting up small braziers to test the different scents to see which fit with the other elements they’d already decided on.

One was familiar in the best kind of way.

“What’s this?” he asked. The fire wasn’t anything special. Some of them burned different colors, although they’d quickly ruled those out for this particular occasion.

“Sandalwood,” the queen replied. She seemed pleased with his selection. “It’s rather humble, but a perfectly good choice for a victory.”

Sandalwood. He finally had a word for what kind of fire Wakatoshi smelled like.

Preparations were finalized, and guests from the noble houses began arriving from their respective estates. Satori greeted them with the queen, behaving himself perfectly. The queen told him he’d been a little too exuberant, but the incoming nobles had seemed pleased enough with him.

He found himself, for the first time in a long time, the center of attention. Everyone wanted to know about the rising queen of Shiratorizawa, wanted to meet him and gain his favor. His head pounded with trying to keep names straight, and he got a surprising number of comments on his hair. He offered only the simple explanation that he held some Karasuno blood, but everyone still seemed fascinated with it.

He couldn’t understand it. Sure, most of the people he’d seen up here had had very dark hair, with a few having lighter browns like Kenjirou, but he wasn’t that unusual, was he? Kawanishi had copper hair, though it wasn’t nearly as bright as Satori’s.

Finally, Eita explained to him that red hair was considered lucky this far north.

“We call people like you blessed by fire,” he said. “We use red to ward off darkness and evil spirits, if you’re a superstitious person like that. Redheads are supposed to be resistant to the forces of evil or something. They just think you’re beautiful.”

_Beautiful._

That wasn’t a word that was used to describe him a lot. He knew his face was a strange mixture of Seijoh and Karasuno features, and his red eyes that he’d inherited from his mother could be unnerving. He’d been called monster a lot as child, before he’d grown into his features with adulthood. He knew he still wasn’t a classic beauty, though he didn’t look completely out of proportion like he had as a child.

Still. Beautiful. The people up here thought his hair was beautiful.

The queen seemed to think so too, in her own way. Once other things had been settled, she’d spent a lot of time checking different colors against him, seeing what would work best.

“Do you prefer a dress or a suit?” she asked, holding a royal blue color up to his cheek, before shaking her head and replacing it. Satori shrugged.

“I don’t really have a preference,” he said. She considered him for a moment before holding up a forest green. Seeming to decide she liked what she saw, she held it up to see how it would fall down his body.

“I think a suit would be appropriate,” she decided. So Satori endured all manner of fittings, letting a tailor poke and prod him until everything was in its place. He was grateful when he was let off for the day, dropping into bed and falling into sleep in an instant.

He couldn’t see much of Wakatoshi in this time. He was busy with his own matters, taking care of some other tasks assigned by the queen, doing special exercises to make sure his arm would heal properly, and in general running around on the opposite side of the castle from Satori.

Satori hoped they would have some time to talk after everything settled down. He’d spent more time in Shiratorizawa apart from his courtmate than with him.

The queen would be presenting Satori at court as the next queen, though it was well known among the noble houses at this point. Apparently, formalities still had to be observed, and this made it so they wouldn’t have to have two major events.

The queen asked him to prepare a small speech, introducing himself and letting the kingdom get to know him. He would go after she delivered her address on the status of the kingdom after the war.

He was nervous, standing up there in front of everyone, but he was nothing if not a good actor. So instead he plastered on his widest smile, stood in front of the crowd with a confidence he didn’t quite feel, and let them see their next queen.

“I am Tendou Satori of Rowanwood,” he said. “It is my honor to be your queen-elect.”

His address was short and to the point, but it seemed to have been well received. Then Wakatoshi took his hand, and everything was better.

“You did well,” Wakatoshi praised him as they walked out for the first dance. Normally, this would go to the king and queen, but with the king still asleep after his injury, the queen would be staying off the dance floor. “They like you.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Satori teased, arranging himself as a single violin started to play. The music up here was much simpler than it was down in Seijoh, but Satori liked it. Wakatoshi began to lead him as drums joined the violin.

“You’ll be a good queen,” Wakatoshi told him. Satori flushed with pride.

“It’s nice to hear that from the kingdom’s miracle boy.”

Satori looked across the room as other couples filtered onto the floor. Kawanishi and Goshiki were graceful enough, and Reon and Ai entered with the ease of years of marriage.

But Eita and Kenjirou…

“What are they doing?” Satori snickered. Wakatoshi knew what he was asking without even looking.

“Eita’s lowborn,” he explained. “He wasn’t in the castle in any kind of permanent way until he was twenty. By that point, he didn’t bother learning proper etiquette since he figured people could take him or leave him as he was.”

“I’m surprised Kenjirou lets that slide.”

“He didn’t, when they first got together.” Wakatoshi smiled at the memory. “He’s stubborn, but if anyone’s his match, it’s Eita. They had to learn how to talk to each other at first.”

“I can imagine,” Satori said. Eita and Kenjirou bickered a lot now, although he’d learned it was mostly friendly.

“They’re not having fun if it’s not a challenge,” Wakatoshi said. “But it took them a long time to learn how to fit together. That’s part of the reason it took them so long to get married. That, and Kenjirou was seventeen when Eita started courting him.”

“What about Goshiki and Kawanishi?” Satori asked. That pair intrigued him. Sometimes they seemed less like mates and more like brothers in arms, but from what Satori could tell, they were the ones that were always caught in compromising positions. Not that either seemed to care.

“Much less drama from those two,” Wakatoshi said. “They met when Goshiki joined the castle guard at sixteen. He worked his way into the army, and they’ve been partners since then. From what I remember, Kawanishi fell first, but he’s too lazy to do much pursuing in the traditional sense. Once Goshiki figured out he felt the same, it was easy for them.”

“They kept their own family names? Is that common for alphas and betas who mate?”

“It’s up to the preference of the pair,” Wakatoshi shrugged. “They’re married, but they both wanted to keep their family names. Everyone was surprised when Kenjirou wanted to take Eita’s family name. Even Eita was surprised. He didn’t expect Shirabu to give up the noble name.”

“It makes sense,” Satori said, though he couldn’t explain why. It just fit the pair that they would have Eita’s family name. “What about Reon and Ai?”

“From the stories, there’s never been a time when they weren’t together,” Wakatoshi said. “They’ve been joined at the hip since they were children.”

“And Hayato?” Satori asked, watching the small beta work his way among the nobles.

“I doubt he’ll ever settle down,” Wakatoshi said. “He always has a pretty girl or boy hanging around. It works for him.”

They danced until Satori could barely feel his feet and his eyes kept sliding shut. Almost everyone else had retired, only a few couples holding strong. Wakatoshi walked him back to his room like the gentleman he was, Satori’s arm tucked under his elbow.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. “I want to show you some things. I’ve already told my mother that I’ll be stealing your time from her.”

He lifted Satori’s hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it, but Satori didn’t let him drop the hand. Instead, he held on, stepping closer to Wakatoshi.

“You owe me more than that,” he said softly, heart pounding at his own boldness. Wakatoshi only looked confused for a moment before Satori leaned in.

The kiss was soft and sweet. It was clear that neither of them was ignorant on what to do, but neither was pushing, just enjoying the quiet slide of lips on lips. It didn’t turn heated. They didn’t involve their tongues. It was gentle and chaste and perfect.

Satori pulled back, feeling the flush in his cheeks as his eyes fluttered open. Wakatoshi was already gazing at him, and this close, Satori could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Satori promised, turning to go into his room.

“Good night. Sleep well.”

“Good night.”

Satori closed the door behind him, leaning back to rest against it. His heart was still beating hard against his chest. Was this really only infatuation, if a simple kiss affected him so much?


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The courtship continues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second of two chapters produced on my long ass bus ride. Enjoy things getting even gayer.

True to his word, Wakatoshi went to Satori’s room the next morning. He’d found that, when not exhausted from weeks of travel, the omega was a fairly light sleeper, enough that he was awake if not alert if someone even walked into the room.

“So what are we doing?” Satori asked once he was more awake and dressed – Wakatoshi had helped him braid his hair back again.

“I want to show you around outside,” Wakatoshi said. “You always liked the gardens back at Seijoh, right? Have you seen our grounds since the snow fell?”

Satori shook his head. That didn’t surprise Wakatoshi. He probably still wasn’t used to how much colder it was up here. Winter hadn’t even properly started. It was only the beginning of November. December and January would see a bitter cold that even people born in Shiratorizawa didn’t always handle well.

He recognized he was probably fussing a bit much when he wrapped extra shawls and scarves around Satori, but the omega would probably be grateful for it when they were out in the snow.

Sure enough, he noticed Satori giving a little shiver when the wind hit them, but it died down as they stepped through the door, and Satori never complained. Wakatoshi led him behind the castle, to an area that was hard to see even from this part of the inside. He felt Satori freeze beside him.

“Whoa,” he said softly, looking around.

Knowing the citadel was covered in snow for so long, the grounds were planned to take advantage of that. Ice sculptures graced the podiums that were usually covered in vases of flowers when the snow melted. The small lake was completely frozen over, and a few palace children were sliding on it in their boots. The fountains had been frozen over in a beautiful glassy covering, and icicles hung from all the trees.

“It’s amazing,” Satori breathed, taking everything in. His breathe puffed out in front of him.

“Nice to see you two out and about.”

Wakatoshi looked up to see Eita walking over to him. He’d formed a friendship with Satori recently, which Wakatoshi appreciated. The more friends Satori had up here, the more comfortable he would be.

“Where’s Kenjirou?” Satori asked. “Hiding from the cold?”

“It’s not the cold he minds,” Eita told him. “He’s probably sitting in front of a window enjoying the winter winds. He just hates the snow. Calls it “inconvenience powder”. He’s such a baby about it getting in his shoes.”

Satori laughed at that, and even Wakatoshi had to smile. Satori’s cheeks were flushed red from the cold, and his eyes were bright. He looked gorgeous.

“Oniichan!” a voice called. They all looked to see a child up a tree, waving at Eita.

“Coming! I’m coming!” Eita called back.

“Who’s that?” Satori asked.

“My little sister,” Eita said. Wakatoshi recognized her as Tomoko, the youngest Semi child.

Eita jumped for the lowest branch without a second thought, climbing up to where Tomoko was perched. Satori laughed, dropping one of his shawls to climb up behind Eita. Wakatoshi watched them go. He’d never climbed trees before.

Satori turned when he was halfway up, looking back at Wakatoshi.

“You’re not coming?” he asked. Wakatoshi shook his head.

“I don’t know how.”

“What?” Eita demanded. “All this time I just thought you were being too proper to climb trees. You don’t know how?”

“My mother didn’t like me climbing trees.”

If there was anything that would’ve cinched Eita’s decision, it was that.

“You’re coming up here,” he said firmly, edging back down. Satori followed him until they were sitting on the two lowest branches. “Come on. We’ll pull you up.”

It was dumb. It was childish, and he was a crown prince.

He jumped for the hands they both held out for him. They were strong enough to pull him up, and Wakatoshi did his best until he was perched on the branch beside Satori. The two of them took off back up to where Tomoko was waiting. Wakatoshi followed as best he could.

“See over there?” Eita said, pointing at a quarter near the edge of the citadel. Satori followed his finger and nodded. “That’s where my family lives. The kids like coming up to the castle, though.”

“The trees are more fun to climb here,” Tomoko said. “They’re taller.”

“Do all Semi’s need to be in trees?” Wakatoshi asked. It was a serious question, but his three companions burst out laughing.

“Kind of, actually,” Eita admitted. “Kenta – that’s the next brother down – is an archer. He’s more comfortable off the ground than on it. Umi is an adventurer, and I’m pretty sure she’s on top of a mountain somewhere right now. Obviously, you can see Tomoko up here.”

“And then there’s you,” Wakatoshi said.

“And then there’s me,” Eita agreed.

Satori shivered next to them.

“Enough of the cold?” Wakatoshi asked. Satori nodded. “Then help me get down. There’s something else I want you to see.”

Once they had scrambled down, they waved to the Semi siblings and headed back inside. Wakatoshi led Satori down and down, below the main level of the castle. It got warmer as they got closer to their destination.

“Here we are,” he announced, opening the door to the baths. Satori looked around, taking in the space that had been carefully made civilized but that still held traces of the cave system it had once been. “The area under the castle has hot springs. We use them to keep it warm in the winter. But down here, we have hot baths.”

“It’s so warm,” Satori sighed, unwinding his scarf and shedding his shawls. “There’s no one else here?”

“There almost never is at this time of day,” Wakatoshi told him. “Most people wait until the end of the day.”

“It’s nice,” Satori said. His skin was starting to flush a bit from the heat. They left their clothes in the changing area and went over to where there were buckets and brushes and soaps waiting for people to use before they got into the baths themselves.

Wakatoshi rubbed some soap into Satori’s hair. Not only was it long, but there was a lot of it, and it took a fair amount to clean it all. Satori turned around, flicking bubbles at him and returning the favor.

They dumped water over their heads to rinse the soap off, and, satisfactorily clean, sank into the warm water of the baths. Satori fastened his hair up with a clip and leaned back, his eyes slipping shut. The position let Wakatoshi observe the long line of his neck and the muscles stretched across his broad chest.

He looked away. Staring was rude.

“Good?” he asked instead. Satori’s eyes blinked open.

“Good,” he agreed. “It’s nice down here.”

“I don’t have many chances to come down here,” Wakatoshi admitted. “Usually I’m too busy. It’s nice to relax a bit, even if it’s only for a day.”

He kept getting caught on Satori’s eyes. With his hair darker from being washed and pulled up away from his face, they looked even bigger, and they were focused on him alone.

“Do you…?” Satori started, but he trailed off, leaning even closer. Wakatoshi didn’t move, letting Satori do as he pleased.

Satori kissed him, placing a hand on his bare shoulder. Wakatoshi felt his skin warming where Satori touched him, and before he realized what he was doing, both his hands were cradling Satori’s face.

Satori’s tongue gently licked across his lip, and Wakatoshi let him, meeting him in the middle. They pulled apart, flushed from more than just the heat.

As much as Wakatoshi wanted to stay like this, they really shouldn’t stay in the baths for much longer. They could overheat if they did.

They dried off and dressed, sneaking glancing peeks at each other. With nowhere else to go, they ended up in the library, Satori’s long hair drying in front of a fire. A blanket was wrapped over their laps, and Satori read from a book he’d been enjoying recently. Wakatoshi wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and soon enough Satori’s voice was slowing down.

Wakatoshi realized that Satori was asleep against his side, head tucked into the crook of his neck. The chocolate scent was even stronger after the bath and being wrapped around each other for so long. Wakatoshi noticed with a sense of pride that Satori smelled quite a bit like him as well. He could smell a lingering bit of chocolate around himself as well.

They didn’t smell mated, but they were obviously courtmates. The possessive part of Wakatoshi preened at that. He would never intentionally mark Satori, at least not without permission. Satori was his own. He didn’t belong to anyone but himself.

Still, there was a part of Wakatoshi that wanted to claim Satori as his own, so no one else could have him.

Satori stirred a bit, murmuring into Wakatoshi’s shoulder. It was time to let him go to bed. However, he refused to wake up, instead whining and turning away from where Wakatoshi was shaking his shoulder.

Wakatoshi scooped him up into his arms, carrying him with the blanket still wrapped around him. He would replace it later. Satori wrapped his arms around Wakatoshi’s neck, settling in to be carried to bed.

Wakatoshi meant to just leave Satori in his bed. He did. He would have, if not for Satori himself.

“Stay,” he commanded, grabbing hold of Wakatoshi’s wrist after he was deposited on the bed.

“People will talk,” Wakatoshi warned. While there was nothing wrong with them spending the night together per se, people would make assumptions. Those assumptions weren’t necessarily bad in Shiratorizawa, Wakatoshi knew it was uncommon for anyone from Seijoh to sleep with someone before marriage, or at least a defined date for marriage. He didn’t want anyone to make Satori uncomfortable with the assumptions they would inevitably make when word got out that the crown prince had spent the night in his courtmate’s room.

“I don’t care,” Satori said. “You’re warm and you smell good. Stay.”

Wakatoshi shrugged. He helped a sleepy and boneless Satori undress and get into a nightshirt, before running back to his room to get one of his own. He slid in carefully behind Satori, cradling the omega in his arms. He could feel how broad Satori was, how muscled his shoulders and back was. He could almost be mistaken for a beta or even an alpha, if not for the feel of soft curves where his hips were wider than a man’s of a different secondary gender.

Satori was hard lines and steel, but also softness and give. Wakatoshi felt his side in fascination, feeling the rise of the curve of his hip. Satori hummed softly, scooting back so he was flush against Wakatoshi’s chest.

Wakatoshi could hear the rumble in his chest then. Satori was purring.

“You smell like sandalwood,” he said, clearly barely still awake. The purr went on uninterrupted. Wakatoshi reached a careful hand around to feel the center of Satori’s chest where it rumbled the strongest.

“You’re purring,” he said in wonder.

“Sh.”

So Wakatoshi pulled Satori closer, buried his face in the loose red hair, and breathed deep. It was a soothing position to lay in, and he felt himself following his omega into sleep.

_His omega?_

Satori wasn’t _his_ omega. Satori hadn’t even formally accepted his courtship. He wasn’t even sure if Satori loved him as he loved the redhead. Until they were on the same page, he couldn’t assume anything. He couldn’t be sure of where they stood.

They really needed to _talk_.

Wakatoshi relaxed, once again nosing into Satori’s hair. The purr had gotten much softer, though it was unbroken by Satori clearly dropping into sleep. He allowed himself a few more moments to enjoy the feeling before the deep rumbles lulled him into unconsciousness.

Tomorrow they would talk. Tomorrow they would settle where they stood once and for all. Tonight, they would sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: all is not as it seems in the kingdom.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All is not well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom Sunday update! I have one more short arc of conflict before I wrap this thing up so here we go.

Satori stirred slowly, light falling across his face. He felt incredibly warm, surrounded by it. Then he became a little more alert and remembered.

Wakatoshi had spent the night. The alpha was still asleep, pressed against his back. His breath gusted softly against Satori’s neck.

Satori would have been content to spend the morning cuddling, basking in the weak winter sunlight, but that wasn’t how life worked for royalty. A knock on his door made Wakatoshi stir.

A page walked in, taking in the sight of the two of them tangled together. Might as well let the rumors start now. They weren’t entirely incorrect.

“Your mother has requested you, Ushijima-sama,” the page said, respectfully not looking at either of them. “She has matters to discuss.”

Wakatoshi made a defeated sound behind Satori.

“You mean she needs me for the rest of the day?” he asked, though it really wasn’t phrased like a question.

“I’ll tell her you’re preparing for the day and will see her shortly.”

The page turned and left before either of them could respond. Wakatoshi burrowed deeper into the pillows.

“You have to get up, don’t you?” Satori asked, squirming around so he could face Wakatoshi.

“Yes,” Wakatoshi sighed, lifting his head just enough to meet Satori’s eyes. “If she’s sending pages to look for me, she has a lot of work for me to deal with. I’ll be busy for the rest of the day.”

“I’ll find some way to amuse myself,” Satori grinned. He was looking forward to another day off.

“You might want to find Eita,” Wakatoshi suggested. “We’re still both banned from any kind of combat while we heal. He’s probably bored out of his mind by now.”

“I’ll do that.”

Satori wandered aimlessly, looking for Eita and Kenjirou. He didn’t actually know where the two of them lived, and as Kenjirou wasn’t in the library at every hour of the day and Eita had been released from the infirmary, he wasn’t entirely sure he knew where to find them. He ended up asking around until a servant took pity on him and led him to their rooms.

When he knocked, it was Eita who answered. He had much fewer bandages on his face now, just an eyepatch and some gauze on the wound that Satori could now see would run from just under his cheekbone over his eye to his hairline.

Kenjirou was sitting at a desk inside, reading something.

“Who is it?” he asked without looking up.

“Satori,” Eita called back. “Do you want to come in?”

Satori nodded.

“Wakatoshi is doing some work with the queen all day,” he told them. “He told me you were bored out of your mind.”

“That’s an understatement,” Kenjirou said. He still hadn’t looked up from his book, but Satori didn’t think he was reading it anymore.

“I just don’t like having to sit still,” Eita complained. “I didn’t even injure my arm like Ushijima-sama. It’s not like I’m going to make my face worse by walking around.”

“He’s been driving me crazy with his pacing,” Kenjirou told Satori. “Take him somewhere, please.”

“You missed me and you know it,” Eita teased.

“Only the gods know why.”

“Have you been down to the village at all?” Eita asked, turning back to Satori. Satori shook his head. “We should go down there. You’d like it. You want cookies, babe?” He turned around to address his husband again.

“Cinnamon, please.” Kenjirou was definitely ignoring his book by now.

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” Kenjirou didn’t answer. “Fine. I’ll go get you cookies. You enjoy your book.”

“I haven’t been able to read since the war started!” Kenjirou shot back.

“I know, babe.” Eita kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll go get your cookies. Read your book.”

“He doesn’t want to come with us?” Satori asked as they left through the gate. He was wearing a scarf around his head to hide his hair, just as an added precaution that Eita had insisted on.

“The village stresses him out,” Eita said. “Too many people and not enough space. Sometimes Taichi and I get him to come down with us anyway. It’s good for him to get out of his own head for a while. But this war stressed him out a lot, and he still hasn’t really gotten back to normal. He needs some time to adjust to the idea that everyone’s safe again.”

“He was worried about everyone?”

“He hides it well, but yes,” Eita sighed. “Personally, I think he would’ve been happy to be an academic and spend his life hiding in a library, and he just accidentally stumbled into being chief strategist. He’s brilliant at it, but it’s not easy for him. It’s different for me; I’ve been a soldier my whole life, and this is what I chose to do. He’s the one who makes plans that determine whether we win or lose, and since he’s not very good at fighting, he has to stay in the castle and give up any control over the situation. I think there’s a part of him that never got over the realization that he was holding lives in his hands during the last war.”

“Everyone came back safe,” Satori said.

“Yes, thank the gods,” Eita agreed. “We lost a few, but not nearly as many as we could have, and no one he knows personally. I think he hasn’t been able to relax because I actually got myself hurt this time.”

“But you’ll be fine, right?”

“Minus some scars, yes.”

They walked in silence for a while, Satori admiring the road. It had been cleared of snow, heaping mounds on either side. Seijoh never saw this much snow, and he was still getting used to the sight.

“That’s the bakery that makes the cookies Kenjirou likes,” Eita said, pointing. “We’ll get them on our way back so they’ll still be warm when we get to the castle.”

“It’s so peaceful,” Satori said. “Would someone really try to hurt me if they knew who I was?”

He hadn’t missed the dark shadow that passed over Eita’s eyes when he’d wrapped the scarf over Satori’s head and tucked his hair in.

“I don’t think it’s any secret at this point that the queen and I aren’t close friends,” Eita said. Satori nodded. Of everyone in the castle, Eita was the only one who expressed active dislike for her. “Part of the reason for that is because I grew up in this village.”

“The people here don’t like her?” Satori was surprised. The queen had been cold to him at first, but that was because he was supposed to be her successor and she was worried about him being ready in time. Right?

“Not really,” Eita told him. “There’s not a lot of love for the Ice Queen down here. She protects us, but she doesn’t lead us. Everyone’s worried about their farms and businesses and whether we’ll have enough food for the winter. This one’s supposed to be a bad one. It’s already colder than it normally it. People are scared.”

“And she’s not telling them anything?”

“She’s not telling _anyone_ anything,” Eita said. “I don’t know if it’s because she’s trying not to scare everyone with bad prospects or what, but she’s making everything worse by keeping all the information to herself.”

“Why don’t you tell her this?” Satori asked. Surely she had to believe someone who was from the village and spent a lot of time there.

“I would have already if I thought she’d listen to me,” Eita replied. “We have a long history, and she’s not going to take any advice that comes from me.”

Satori was about to ask more questions when someone called out for Eita. He turned to see a man who had been hauling a load of wood waving at them.

“How are ya, Daisuke?” Eita asked, walking over to him.

“The family’s hangin’ on, as usual,” Daisuke replied, waving his hand dismissively. “Any news from that Ice Queen o’ yours?”

“Nothin’ she’ll tell me or Kenji, anyway,” Eita scoffed. Satori noticed how his voice had become rougher, his speech more like the man in front of him and less like the nobles in the palace.

“That mate o’ yours is one o’ the only ones she’ll listen to,” Daisuke complained. “Can’t he do anythin’ ‘bout her?”

“He’s doin’ his best,” Eita sighed, and Satori remembered how much Kenjirou had been hanging around the queen lately. “She’s bein’ stubborn.”

“I need to know if the citadel will survive the winter,” Daisuke said. “It’s too late to take the family south. The roads are too dangerous.”

“We’re doin’ what we can,” Eita assured him. Daisuke nodded and continued on his way, brow furrowed. “See what I mean?”

Satori was thrown by the shift back to proper speech.

“People are scared,” he said. “Does everyone feel like that?”

“Pretty much,” Eita nodded. “If she would just tell us what’s going on, we could prepare for it. Even if it’s bad. The merchants could start importing more food, they have ways of moving during the winter. Daisuke and his family are too poor to afford horses and sleds that can survive the snow.”

Satori felt an idea start forming in the back of his head, though it wasn’t formed enough to be a real plan yet.

They visited a few of Eita’s friends, and Satori heard the same thing over and over. Will we be able to survive the winter? Is there enough food? It’s already so cold, will there be enough fuel?

Under it all, Satori could hear an anger at the entire royal family. The queen said nothing, no one knew the status of the prince or the king after the war. There was even uneasiness about him. No one knew anything about the new queen, and it was unclear whether he would be exactly the same as the queen they had now or worse, or, some dared to hope, better.

He was turning his idea over in his head, shaping it, when they walked through the bakery. Eita bought Kenjirou’s cookies, and Satori was almost too lost in thought to thank him when Eita passed him one.

He was still thinking when they brought the cookies to Kenjirou, still thinking through the soft look that the other omega tried to hide, still thinking as he wandered back to his room.

The only thing that broke him out of it was the sight of Wakatoshi waiting for him in front of his door. The alpha looked absolutely exhausted after whatever he’d done with the queen all day.

“Did you have a good time with Eita?” he asked. Satori nodded. “What did you do?”

“We went down to the village,” Satori told him.

“The village? Just you and Eita?” Wakatoshi sounded distressed. “That’s dangerous! What if someone had recognized you? You didn’t have anyone but Eita to protect you.”

“Are you saying I can’t go to the village?” Satori asked quietly. Wakatoshi had never struck him as one of those controlling alphas, but if that was the case…

“Of course that’s not what I’m saying,” Wakatoshi protested. “No one will stop you from going anywhere you want to go, not that I think we could even if we wanted to. I’m just saying, be more careful and take proper precautions when you leave the grounds. It’s too easy to get hurt out there if people know you’re royalty.”

“Then come with me,” Satori said. Wakatoshi looked like he was confused about where this conversation was turning, and maybe it was unfair to spring this on him when he was clearly so tired, but Satori had finished forming his plan and he wanted Wakatoshi’s help. “There’s something I want you to see down there. I have an idea for something I need to talk to your mother about, and I need your backup when I talk to her.”

Wakatoshi nodded.

“Tomorrow, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Wakatoshi visits the village with Satori.   
> I will be having another 4 hour bus ride either tonight or tomorrow, depending on whether the basketball team wins tonight and my band gets to stay. I expect to have another two chapters done on that ride as well. The reason for the extra updates is that April is Camp Nanowrimo, and I will be doing the next installment of this series (the story of Semishira and the war 3 years ago) for that, so I'm trying to give myself as much off time as possible.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima goes to the village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS STILL SUNDAY WHERE I AM. Anyway. Have a village visit

Wakatoshi had forgotten just how demanding his mother could be. He’d been preoccupied with learning from his father before the war had started, and even spending some extra time with his mother to prepare for Seijoh etiquette before he rode down to ask for Oikawa Tooru’s hand in marriage hadn’t been that intensive.

But now she was in an extreme mood, and apparently training Satori hadn’t satisfied her from her worry about the succession. She’d drilled him on every aspect of their defenses and his plans to keep them up, as well as how he planned to use their alliance with Seijoh. She voiced her concerns about having enough to last the winter, and while he shared those concerns, he didn’t think going through their storerooms to take an inventory that was no different from the one they already had was a good use of their time. Besides, shipments of food from Seijoh were meant to come in soon. While they might have to go without some luxuries, nobody in the citadel should have to fear going hungry.

So he was understandable dead on his feet by the time he finally hauled himself up to his rooms. He would’ve passed out on his bed, but the sweet scent of dark chocolate stopped him. Satori was coming back.

He looked over his shoulder to see the omega walking towards him, eyes hazy with thought and cheeks flushed from being outside. He’d probably been outside climbing trees with Eita again.

“Did you have a good time with Eita?” he asked. Satori nodded. “What did you do?”

“We went down to the village,” Satori told him. Wakatoshi felt his heart stop for a moment. As far as he knew, Satori hadn’t left the safety of the castle since he’d arrived. His mind raced with all the possible things that could have happened to Satori out in the world. The rational part of him argued that Eita was more than enough to defend him, but he worried about Eita’s sight currently being compromised and his injuries still barring him from any kind of fighting.

“The village? Just you and Eita?” Wakatoshi knew he sounded more accusatory than he’d meant to. “That’s dangerous! What if someone had recognized you? You didn’t have anyone but Eita to protect you.”

“Are you saying I can’t go to the village?” Satori asked quietly. He pulled in on himself, body language and scent closing off.

“Of course that’s not what I’m saying,” Wakatoshi protested. He would never try to control Satori, and he had to choose his words carefully to make that clear. “No one will stop you from going anywhere you want to go, not that I think we could even if we wanted to. I’m just saying, be more careful and take proper precautions when you leave the grounds. It’s too easy to get hurt out there if people know you’re royalty.”

“Then come with me,” Satori said. Wakatoshi tilted his head. He wasn’t sure where Satori was going with this, and his brain was too fried to try to make sense of it. “There’s something I want you to see down there. I have an idea for something I need to talk to your mother about, and I need your backup when I talk to her.”

Wakatoshi nodded.

“Tomorrow, then.”

He turned to go back to his own room, but Satori grabbed his wrist, just as he had the night before.

“You can stay again, if you want,” Satori offered.

“My bed is bigger,” Wakatoshi countered. So Satori followed him into his own room, looking around. It was bigger, but that was to be expected. They hadn’t had any rooms of royal quality open when he’d brought Satori back, so they’d made do with what they had.

“It’s nice,” Satori said, flopping on the bed. Wakatoshi changed into a nightshirt, but Satori seemed content to pull off all his outer layers and sleep in the shirt he’d been wearing all day.

“What’s in the village that you need me to see?” Wakatoshi wanted to know. He stifled a yawn.

“Are you going to remember in the morning if I tell you?” Satori teased. He was turned on his side, his nose almost brushing Wakatoshi’s.

“Probably not.”

“Go to sleep, Toshi,” Satori said. “I’ll tell you everything in the morning.”

Wakatoshi didn’t remember anything after that moment. The next thing he knew, he was waking up to a face full of red hair that smelled like chocolate. Satori was tucked under his chin, arms tucked into his chest between them. Their legs were tangled together, and there was absolutely no chance of Wakatoshi getting himself out without waking the omega.

So he held as still as possible and waited for Satori to stir. It wasn’t long – in addition to being a light sleeper, Satori seemed to be a naturally early riser, unable to sleep when sunlight hit his face. His big red eyes blinked open, still hazy. It might be a bit before he was completely alert, no matter how far from sleep he was.

“Want to tell me about this thing I need to see?” Wakatoshi asked. Satori leveraged himself out of bed.

“I can’t…really explain it well,” he admitted. “You just need to see it. I’m going to get dressed. You should too.”

Wakatoshi had to admit he liked Satori’s new habit of wearing his hair down and around his face to protect it from the cold. He also liked how good Satori looked in Shiratorizawa style clothes, much better suited for the winter.

Eita was waiting for them when they came down to the front of the castle. Wakatoshi was grateful for the extra protection.

“No scarf this time?” Eita asked Satori.

“I’m not quite as anonymous this time,” Satori replied, gesturing to Wakatoshi. It was true. While Satori wasn’t well known yet, Wakatoshi would be instantly recognizable in the town. There was no point in trying to hide himself.

However, it was almost like he was trying to draw attention to himself. Red hair wasn’t exactly common in the citadel, and Satori’s was around his face and down his back and impossible to miss. He looked like a fire next to Eita, and Wakatoshi knew that even as the crown prince, he would have a hard time drawing eyes away from Satori.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew that Satori wasn’t classically beautiful, and that no matter how attractive he found the omega, not everyone else would think the same. Still, Satori didn’t have to be beautiful. He was striking, and he was dressed like he knew it. Attention would be on him whether he was classically beautiful or not.

“What exactly are you two showing me?” Wakatoshi asked. Eita looked expectantly at Satori.

“I think I sort of get the idea of what you want, but you haven’t actually told me what you’re doing,” Eita said.

“I need you to see what the village is like,” Satori said. “One of the things I learned in lessons with Tooru was that the feelings of the kingdom are one of the most important things in keeping order. There are a lot more common people than there are nobles.”

“You think there’s a possibility of revolt?” Wakatoshi asked quietly. What exactly was Satori getting them into?

“Not exactly, no,” Satori assured him, waving his hands. “Just…pay attention, and see what it feels like here. It’s not easy to explain in words. Trust me on this.”

Wakatoshi did.

He trailed behind Eita and Satori, listening to the comforting sounds of the rougher village accent, so much more down to earth than the proper speech of the castle. He would probably never lose it, but Eita had never truly picked it up, and he slipped back into the village accent as soon as they started talking to people.

And he sort of understood what Satori was talking about. The people were angry, yes, but not the kind of angry that made him fear for his life. More than anything else, they were scared, and in the dark, and just wanted some answers.

They were pleased to see him, actually. Wakatoshi made sure to introduce Satori properly, since everyone already knew him and Eita, and if anything, the people were delighted. He was showered with questions, some he didn’t know the answers to, but the most common were along the lines of “will we have enough food for winter?”

He was able to assure them that, with the alliance to Seijoh sealed by his marriage to Satori, times might get a little lean but they shouldn’t be in danger of starvation. Satori was a lot more popular after that.

“What a handsome young couple!” an old woman remarked, smiling at them both. “And so clearly in love! When will the wedding be?”

Wakatoshi froze. _So clearly in love?_ He hadn’t even properly talked to Satori about where they stood. He hadn’t even considered them getting married yet.

“In the spring,” Satori said, recovering much earlier than him. While he was blushing a bit, he didn’t look nearly as thrown by the question as Wakatoshi felt. He responded to the blank look that Wakatoshi must have been shooting him. “Doesn’t spring seem like the perfect time for a wedding? Everything is melting and coming back to life. It just seems appropriate.”

“Of course,” Wakatoshi choked out.

They made their apologies and left the village. Satori and Wakatoshi trailed a bit behind Eita, Satori’s arm tucked into Wakatoshi’s.

“I think I understand what you were trying to show me,” Wakatoshi told him. “That’s actually what I was working on with my mother yesterday. She’s planning out how we’re going to feed everyone. What are we going to do about the people, though?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Satori answered. “It’s not enough to just protect the people by forming alliances and importing food. You have to lead them, and keeping the information to herself isn’t leading them. I’m glad you see what’s going on, because I want your support when I talk to your mother.”

“What are you planning?”

“We have to be open with the people,” Satori said. “In Seijoh, we’ll have meetings between some representatives from the people and the king. Villages can choose a spokesperson to voice their concerns, but I don’t think that will quite work here. We need everyone to see that we have a plan, so I’m thinking about opening up some time to let the people come and talk to us, ask us questions, bring us complaints. Not without protection,” he interrupted before Wakatoshi could voice his concerns. “I want Kawanishi and Goshiki there, at the very least. Maybe Reon too. I trust them.”

“You’ve really thought this out,” Wakatoshi said. He was impressed.

“It’s what needs to be done,” Satori shrugged. “Someone had to come up with a solution. This is just a start. We can refine it more later.”

“You’re the queen we need,” Wakatoshi told him. “I don’t care what my mother says. She never would have come up with this, and you figured it out after one trip to the village. You’re brilliant, and you’re going to be amazing as a queen.”

Satori had turned brighter and brighter red as Wakatoshi continued what was a fairly long speech for him. Which reminded him…

“Did you really mean what you said?” he asked. Satori quirked an eyebrow. “About getting married in the spring?”

“Did you not like that?” Satori asked. “It’s tradition in Seijoh to get married when the flowers start blooming, because the new life is supposed to bless the marriage. I’m sorry, if there’s a tradition here I don’t know about…”

“Of course I’m not upset,” Wakatoshi cut off Satori’s babbling. “I just…I didn’t realize you wanted to get married.”

Satori gave him a strange look, before standing on his toes to kiss Wakatoshi on the cheek. He was so tall, he didn’t have to reach far.

“We’re courtmates, aren’t we?” he asked. “Of course we’re going to get married. Besides, I…want to. With you.”

Wakatoshi grinned harder than he could remember doing so recently. He and Satori were getting _married._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter going up tonight as well I just have to finish editing it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satori sets his plan in motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is done being edited so have this also

Satori wasn’t exactly looking forward to the conversation he was going to have to have with the queen. She’d been much warmer to him since he’d stood up to her, but somehow, he didn’t think questioning her ruling style was going to endear him to her.

Still, it had to be done. He owed it to the people if he wanted them to trust him at all. Besides, even if the queen ended up hating him again, this was something he wanted to do. He knew the people down in the village now. They were just nameless and faceless people he could barely see from the castle anymore. He didn’t want them to have to be afraid anymore.

And he had Wakatoshi at his shoulder. It was almost strange to have his alpha walking a step behind him instead of by his side, but then again, this was Satori’s stage. He was the one controlling this meeting, and Wakatoshi was there for support.

The queen’s face steeled almost as soon as they walked in. It was like she could see from their faces that she wasn’t going to like what was about to happen.

“We went down to the village,” Satori opened. He’d been practicing what he wanted to say over and over in his head, especially since what he was trying to fix was so hard to define.

“I hope you took adequate protection,” the queen replied. There was no inflection in her voice. It was carefully controlled and revealed nothing. Satori refused to show how uncomfortable that made him on the outside.

“Of course,” Satori replied. “I need to talk to you about the things I saw there.”

“What could you have seen there that requires interrupting my work?” she asked lightly. Her tone was so dangerous. He was walking on the edge of a knife.

“This relates to your work,” he said neutrally. “The people are scared, and they’re getting angry. They need to know what’s going on. They need to know if they’ll have enough to make it through the winter.”

“I have a plan for this,” the queen replied. Her face was closed off, and her voice had steel in it.

“They don’t know that,” Satori told her. “All they know is it’s too late to take their families south if it turns out we won’t make it through the winter. Hiding your plan from them isn’t helping, even if you think it is.”

“Then what do you propose we do?”

This was his make or break moment. He had to make it count.

“Hold court and allow the people in,” he said. His voice didn’t waver even for a second. “Answer their questions. Tell them how it really is, good or bad. They have a right to know whether their families are going to starve.”

The queen stared at him for so long that he worried she would just ignore him. He was grateful once again for Wakatoshi at his shoulder. The support bolstered him.

“Very well,” she said finally. “I’ll indulge this whim of yours.”

Satori breathed a sigh of relief.

“But I won’t be the one holding court,” she went on, and he tensed. “You will. I want you to see your foolish plan fail firsthand.”

Satori hadn’t expected this turn at all.

“I need to know everything about your plans for the winter,” he said after a moment of silence. “Every detail. If I’m the one doing this, I’m going to do it right.”

“I hope you don’t need sleep,” the queen said. Satori could have sworn she was wearing a smirk.

True to her word, she outlined every facet of her plan, from how she was going to stretch the rations they already had to how she planned to factor in the resources from Seijoh, even some plans on price controls on things like wheat to prevent inflation and starvation when resources ran lean, as she was certain they would at the end.

He didn’t sleep that night, instead learning everything he possibly could. Every time he felt his eyelids scratching and drooping, he remembered he would be in front of the people in just a few days.

He didn’t leave the queen’s side, and barring a few cat naps, he barely slept those few days. However, when the day finally came, he felt ready. If exhausted.

Wakatoshi passed him an apple when he returned to his room to try to make himself look presentable.

“This will help wake you up,” he said quietly. He mostly stayed out of Satori’s way and let him get ready. Satori sleepily took bites of the apple as he changed his clothes.

“Will you braid my hair?” he asked. Wakatoshi nodded, pulling the strands back and into a neat braid that he dropped over Satori’s shoulder. Satori turned around to thank him and was met with a kiss. He pulled back after a moment, looking into Wakatoshi’s eyes. He wanted to tell him, but…later. They would have time later.

His feet carried him too fast, the walls blurring, and before he even had time to collect himself, he was sitting in front of a crowd in the throne room. Wakatoshi didn’t retreat to the side as Satori had expected, but took his seat in the throne beside him.

As per his mother’s instructions, he would not speak, but just having him there was enough. Satori took a deep breath to steel himself before looking out to the crowd.

“Whoever was hear first, please step forward,” he called over the murmurs. A woman he recognized as a bit of a matriarch in the village stepped into view. She was wrinkled and shrunk with age, but she still stood with her head held proudly.

“Will we have enough food to last the winter?” she asked. Satori had prepared for this. He’d known it would be the question on everyone’s mind. He explained to her that yes, they had enough in reserve and would have enough coming from Seijoh that times might get lean but no one should starve.

Someone else stepped forward to ask about fuel, which had a habit of running low during even the mildest of winters. Satori had an answer for that as well, explaining that the royal family had been saving any extra fuel for years in case of a true emergency, and they would have enough to last through April.

Person after person stepped forward, asking question after question. Would merchants still be running through the winter? Would local merchants be able to continue their business? What were they giving Seijoh in exchange for the food? And so on.

Satori answered every question. His sleepless days with the queen were paying off. Even if he couldn’t answer every aspect of the question, he could answer it generally. He could feel the mood in the room starting to shift, the fear and anger turning to hope. Even if things weren’t going to be perfect, just knowing there was a plan, just knowing they wouldn’t starve, was enough to give everyone hope.

Satori didn’t stop until the people did. He sat there for hours, barely noticing his muscles locking up, answering everyone who had come to speak with him. It wasn’t until the very last of the people had trickled out of the room and silence finally reigned that he let himself slump in his seat.

He only looked up when the queen approached him.

“You did well,” she said simply. Her face was still impassive, but her eyes were softer. Satori thought he’d managed to finally impress her. “Get some rest.”

Wakatoshi walked up as his mother walked away.

“You should go to bed,” he advised.

“Great idea,” Satori agreed. “There’s just one problem, though. I don’t think I can stand up.”

Wakatoshi scooped him up, and Satori didn’t even think to protest. He just wound his arms around Wakatoshi’s neck, listening to his pulse. He barely noticed them moving, not until they were in Wakatoshi’s familiar room.

And then Satori was looking at Wakatoshi, really looking at him, seeing acceptance and support that had buoyed him through the last few days. Before he could stop himself, he was practically attacking the alpha’s face, using tongue far too early and yet it still wasn’t enough.

Wakatoshi managed to keep his grip, but keeping up was a different story, and instead he just let Satori do as he pleased. When Satori finally pulled away, they were both panting, and Wakatoshi’s arms were starting to tremble under him from the strain of holding Satori up.

Satori looked into Wakatoshi’s eyes, close enough to see every shade of brown and gold. They were surprisingly deep up close – they looked flat from a distance. It was time to tell him what Satori had wanted to say this morning, what he had known for a while and had only recently decided to voice.

“I love you.”

Wakatoshi didn’t move. His eyes never left Satori’s.

“I love you too,” he replied. “I’ve loved you since we got here. I didn’t want to pressure you, but…”

“Shh,” Satori shushed him. He could feel Wakatoshi starting to rant, and he was entirely too tired. He got the feeling that Wakatoshi probably was too. He really wanted to get down before he was dropped, so he squirmed until Wakatoshi set him on the bed. “Tell me in the morning. I’ll listen to anything you want to tell me. Until then…”

He didn’t remember anything after that. Didn’t remember Wakatoshi catching him as he fell forward, didn’t remember being changed into a nightshirt and laid to rest, didn’t remember being wrapped in warmth. He slept soundly instead, dead to the world in a way he rarely was, because he could rest easy now.

He’d learned a little more about being queen, and he’d finally told Wakatoshi he loved him. Everything felt like a miracle.

Wakatoshi felt like a miracle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO LOVE CONFESSIONS  
> One more chapter where a few loose ends are tied up and then I'll get to their wedding. I'm on spring break now so my goal is to finish this week so I can Rest.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding is planned and a death happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just trying to finish this up while I still have spring break. This is a bit of a filler chapter to polish off this last arc.

“I think you’d look lovely in cream.”

“Excuse me?” Satori had been quietly going over some correspondence from a noble house in the west – easy to remember which one, considering there were only three in that direction. Most nobles lived in the comparatively warmer east. He was working on establishing himself amongst the noble houses so there wouldn’t be such a sharp transition of power when the queen stepped down. He’d sat in silence with her for the past half hour at least, reading and learning, and wasn’t entirely sure what had prompted this from her.

“For your wedding. You’d look lovely in cream,” she said. She almost looked…embarrassed? “I know in Seijoh blue is the traditional wedding color, but up here we use white. Blue and cream would look nice together, and they would both go with your hair.”

Satori must have looked as blank as he felt, because she hurried on.

“Well, we have to start planning now if you’re getting married in the spring. I’m just glad you’ve set the date far enough in the future that there’s plenty of time to get everything ready. Usually it’s not truly spring until about April up here, so a good date might be the middle of April.”

“You’re…planning my wedding?” Satori asked slowly.

“Well of course,” the queen shook her head. “You’re marrying the crown prince and you’re the future queen. This is a big deal. You’re the one who cares so much about how the people are doing. They deserve to see their next rulers rising.”

Satori smiled slowly. In her own way, this was how the queen showed affection. Masked as just taking care of business, this was her way of doting on him.

“Besides, this would be a duty of yours anyway,” she went on. “You’re the one who will have to plan events such as this.”

Any work he’d been previously doing on the noble houses was postponed as the queen discussed guest lists and color schemes and food choices – more frugal than most events of this nature, since they would probably still be recovering from the winter in the spring.

Still, it was important for Satori to slowly take over duties from the queen, who had begrudgingly allowed him to start calling her Suiko-san, since she balked a bit at him calling her mother. Apparently, it was just a little too weird for her. Wakatoshi was her only child.

So he was taking over household duties from her, starting small and working his way up. While at first he had just shadowed Suiko-san, he was now sent for small tasks such as checking up on the running of parts of the castle by himself.

The kitchen staff liked him a lot, mostly because he couldn’t stop complimenting them – it was no chocolate ice cream, but their chocolate cake was to die for, and they were surprisingly clever about stretching dwindling fruit and vegetable stores while still making delicious meals. The head chef in particular seemed to have taken a particular liking to him, and Satori may have been guilty of visiting more than he strictly had to.

The other members of the castle were nice enough, although Satori learned early on that crossing anyone in the laundry area was about as smart as crossing Ai. They were all strong from years of lifting heavy cloth from water and weren’t afraid to smack him with wet towels if he deserved it.

A more nerve wracking part of taking over from Suiko-san was talking to the noble houses that came to visit. He’d met most of the nobles cursorily when they’d come to the ball after the end of the war, but now he really had to get to know them. To make matters even scarier for him, he was taking point on greeting them instead of Suiko-san. There was a specific way each noble house had to be greeted to make sure they were honored appropriately, and he had to remember every one. Then there was the small talk, and the polite steering of conversations towards matters that needed to be discussed without being rude enough to actually demand they turn their attention to the matter at hand.

Satori didn’t know how Suiko-san had done this alone for so long.

He was exhausted, but happy. He could actually see the difference his work was making, and that was all he really wanted. Add that to the fact that Suiko-san actively liked him now, and that he was finding his place among friends here, and he felt more at home than he had since he’d left Seijoh. Eita was his favorite, but Kenjirou was close in a way that only people who’d been left behind together could be. Goshiki and Kawanishi had become Tsutomu and Taichi, and Reon, Yamagata, and Ai were all friends as well.

He was so busy that he almost entirely forgot what the coming end of December meant. Forgot, that was, until it was already upon him, taking the last bits of his day before he fell asleep by spending time with Wakatoshi. Between the alpha next to him and the sandalwood fire in front of them, it smelled entirely like his courtmate. It was nice, and he didn’t notice the signs until it was already upon him.

It started with Wakatoshi nosing under his jaw, taking deep breaths in. Satori scooted closer and tilted his head, enjoying the attention.

“You smell so good,” Wakatoshi told him, kissing the skin leading up to his ear and making him shiver despite the warmth of the fire. And then they were kissing, Wakatoshi’s hands brushing through his hair. Feeling bold, Satori stood up on his knees to swing himself over and straddle Wakatoshi’s lap. Wakatoshi’s hands slid out of his hair to rest on his back and pull him closer. Satori happily looped his arms around Wakatoshi’s shoulders and leaned in, chest to chest.

In the end, it was Wakatoshi who noticed first. Large hands grasped Satori’s shoulders and held him back. Satori hung in the air for a moment, eyes still closed, before he opened them. It didn’t exactly feel like rejection, but it didn’t feel _good_ either.

“Are you going into heat?”

 _Oh_.

“Oh. I guess I am,” Satori mused, finally noticing all the pre heat signs. “I forgot it was coming.”

“You forgot?”

“I’ve been busy,” Satori defended himself. “Besides, I only have these once a year. I don’t think about it too much.”

“You only have heats once a year?”

“I think it’s because both of my biological parents are betas,” Satori said. “My mom hasn’t told me much about who my biological father is, but she did say he was a beta. I only have heats once a year, and when I do have them, they’re pretty mild. Usually I can just hole up in my room with a stack of books for a few days so I don’t bother anyone.”

Wakatoshi was staring at him with something like shock.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” he said. Satori shrugged. He was starting to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable now that Wakatoshi had stopped kissing him entirely. While he wasn’t a mess like most omegas in heat were, that didn’t mean he was entirely unaffected. And he was straddling Wakatoshi’s lap. “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

Satori considered. On the one hand, Wakatoshi’s hands on him felt incredibly good, and his scent was soothing. On the other hand, Satori didn’t feel ready to sleep with Wakatoshi yet. While he wasn’t at all worried about whether or not Wakatoshi could control himself, it would probably be unfair to ask him to stay while he was in heat when they wouldn’t be having sex.

“That would probably be for the best,” he sighed. He stood up out of Wakatoshi’s lap to walk next door to his own room. “Will you get me some books and some water?”

Wakatoshi nodded, and Satori walked next door. He settled himself down, arranging his blankets and pillows into a nest and burrowing in. With his once yearly heats happening in winter, he was always looking for warmth during them. He could be a pretty epic nester.

Wakatoshi walked in carefully, obviously knowing better than to enter an omega in heat’s space without permission. Satori waved him in, gratefully accepting the handful of books and the pitcher of water set on the table beside his bed.

“I tried to pick out books I thought you’d like,” Wakatoshi told him. “Are you sure this will be enough for you?”

“Send some food by once a day?” Satori requested. “Other than that, I should be fine.”

Wakatoshi leaned in to kiss him on the forehead, and Satori preened under the attention. While he didn’t feel the burning he’d heard about from other omegas, he did feel an uncomfortable itch below his skin that Wakatoshi’s touch soothed.

“Yell if you need anything,” he instructed, and Satori nodded.

Wakatoshi had done a pretty good job of picking out books for him, even if some were books that Satori had already read. It was nice to curl up and read, with no expectations of him going anywhere or doing anything.

Still, he felt more restless than he normally did during heats. Usually, the itch could be easily ignored when he was reading, but now it lingered in the back of his mind, needling at him. Maybe it was because he was getting older, or maybe it was because even in his own room the scent of Wakatoshi was everywhere.

Whatever the cause, he eventually abandoned his book to reach a hand down between his legs. It wasn’t like he’d never done this before, although the previous times had more been out of curiosity than desire. Now, he had an image of tanned skin and larger hands and the scent of sandalwood in his nose, and that made everything better.

A part of him wondered if he could really make it to April. He’d decided that since their wedding was so soon, it would be better to wait to sleep together until after they were married. Still, if just imagining it could feel this good…

He was allowed more free reign in the days after his heat to give him time to recover. However, he’d already had his fill of sitting around doing nothing, so instead he started to wander. He ended up in the infirmary, which was blessedly clear. The only one left was the king, surrounded by his red curtains.

Satori stepped forward cautiously. He’d never spoken to the king, and it looked like he was running out of time to do so. As he pulled back the curtains, he looked down on the gaunt face. The king had woken up, though it seemed that wouldn’t save him in the end. He only grew weaker every day.

Now, he tossed and turned fitfully, perhaps sensing Satori’s presence and opening his eyes. He focused on Satori, and he froze.

“Who are you?” he asked quietly, his voice hoarse. He must not have been using it much. “Did Suiko send you?”

This must have been what Suiko-san was doing whenever she left him alone. So there was some love in this political marriage after all.

“My name is Tendou Satori,” he told the king. “I’m your son’s courtmate.”

The king’s eyes widened, taking in all of Satori. He nodded, a small smile stretching the thin skin of his face.

“You seem like a good man,” he said. “Wakatoshi chose well.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“Father?”

They both turned to see Wakatoshi standing in the doorway, looking younger than Satori had ever seen him look.

“My son,” the king said, stifling a cough. His voice was growing weaker. “I’ve just been talking to your lovely future husband.”

“I see this,” Wakatoshi said. “Father, I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you were injured…”

“None of that,” the king interrupted, once again having a coughing fit. “You were finding Tendou. That is a worthy enough goal. Don’t apologize.”

Wakatoshi didn’t look entirely convinced, but he stepped forward to stand by Satori’s side.

“You love him,” the king said, and Wakatoshi nodded. “And he loves you.” Satori nodded in affirmation. “That’s all I need.”

The king closed his eyes, too weak to continue the conversation. His breath slowed. Wakatoshi squeezed his hand once, before they left.

The king died that night, peacefully, in his sleep. Wakatoshi was quiet, and rather than try to get him to talk or distract him, Satori instead sat by his side, an arm around his shoulders in silent comfort. There was nothing he could do or say that would change the facts. He just had to be there while Wakatoshi got past this.

And he would.

He still had his mother, and his friends, and Satori would be there for him while he mourned.

He wasn’t alright now, but he would be.

They would all be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: they get married


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last real chapter! Next chapter will just be an epilogue. Thank you to everyone who's been following this story.

_Four months later ~ April_

“There we go.”

Red eyes the same shade as his own met his in the mirror. Tendou Hanae finished pinning his hair into place and stepped back. Satori turned around to smile at his mother.

“Don’t you look lovely?” she said, miming wiping a tear. “The perfect bride.”

Satori looked down at himself, at the full skirt that hid his feet. It was cream with blue accents, and somehow light enough even with all the fabric that he could walk without fear of tripping.

His mother called his attention to the mirror again, so he could take in her elaborate braid work. She’d pulled some of it up to form a crown of sorts, leaving the rest to fall down in curls over his shoulders. Standing next to her, it was easy to see how similar they looked. Besides the red hair, he looked almost exactly like her, from the red eyes to the too-wide features.

“Come on, then,” she said, and this time it sounded like she was actually tearing up. “Don’t want to keep Wakatoshi waiting, do we?”

“Mom,” he started hesitantly. “You’ll stay after, right?”

“I’ll stay as long as you want me, darling,” she assured him.

“What if I want you forever?”

She gave him a grin.

“I have no intention of leaving for a while,” she said. “Besides, Suiko needs someone to look after her while she’s still mourning. Poor thing needs a friend, and you and Wakatoshi deserve to wrap up in your own little worlds for a while and enjoy being newlyweds.”

“You never had any intention of leaving, did you?” Satori asked, but he was amused.

“I happen to like it up here,” she shook her finger at him, but they were both amused. “Much nicer.”

Satori felt happier knowing his mother wouldn’t leave, and even happier when they started walking to the front of the castle. The ceremony would be held outside, and the gates had been flung open so that any from the village who wanted to come would be able to.

Kanon and Mamiko had been recruited to walk ahead of them, dropping white flowers from the door of the castle to the altar. A cheer went up from the gathered people when Satori stepped out, and he smiled so hard it hurt. In the months he’d been taking over for Suiko-san, he’d really made friends with some of these people.

Eita stepped forward to meet them. As Satori’s best man, he would be walking ahead of them down the aisle, symbolically protecting Satori from evil spirits.

“Here,” he said, tucking a sprig of tiny white flowers into the bouquet Satori was holding. “White heather. For luck.”

“Go forth and protect me, oh best man,” Satori teased, but he was surprisingly grateful for the gift. It hadn’t been mentioned to him by anyone else, so it must have been a tradition from the village rather than one of the royalty.

Eita’s eyes twinkled, both of them finally open. He had an angry red scar from below his cheekbone up to his forehead, but luckily it had jumped over his eye, sparing his vision. The doctors had assured them the scar would fade with time, though it would always be the most prominent thing about Eita’s face. He didn’t seem to mind.

Eita walked ahead of them, and Satori finally looked up to see the altar. Suiko-san was there, ready to give her son away, and Tsutomu was there as Wakatoshi’s best man, but Satori only had eyes for Wakatoshi himself.

He was stunning, dressed in white and his hair slicked back. His eyes were frozen wide as they met Satori’s. They drank each other in.

Satori got to the altar, and took his place in front of Wakatoshi. His mother picked up his hand, and Suiko-san picked up Wakatoshi’s. Their mothers placed their hands together and stepped back. Everyone was there for support, but the rest of the ceremony was up to them.

Wakatoshi went first, reciting vows that he’d refused to tell Satori beforehand but that he’d admitted were the vows his mother had used in her own marriage.

“Satori,” he started. “I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine. From this day it shall only be your name I cry out in the night and into your eyes that I smile each morning. I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine. Never shall a grievous word be spoken about us, for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance. Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next.”

Satori stood frozen, his jaw dropped. He was definitely crying now. Those vows were very similar to his own, which he’d based off traditional Shiratorizawa vows, with a little bit of Seijoh there as well. He was of Shiratorizawa now, but he was also of Seijoh, and he wouldn’t forget that.

He cleared his throat so it wouldn’t sound so much like tears were slipping down his face.

“Wakatoshi,” he said, and cleared his throat again for the tremble. “I pledge my love to you, and everything that I am. I promise you the first bite of my meat and the first sip from my cup. I pledge that your name will always be the name I cry aloud in the dead of night. I promise to honor you above all others. Our love is never ending, and we will remain, forevermore, equals in our marriage. This is my wedding vow to you.”

They turned in unison to the silver cup set between them. Both of them would drink from it, and that would seal their union. Wakatoshi took the first sip, passing the cup to Satori. He drank, resisting the urge to shiver from the lingering chill. It had been filled from a mountain stream that morning, tying them not only to each other but to the kingdom.

“I declare them married before the eyes of the throne,” Suiko-san spoke up. Besides being there as Wakatoshi’s mother, she was also the authority, being the only remaining ruler. “They now take their places as the next king and queen of Shiratorizawa.”

The crowd cheered once again as the queen placed crowns on their heads, symbolically passing power from her to them.

“Rise, Ushijima Wakatoshi, second of his name, lord of the houses of east and west, king of Shiratorizawa.”

Satori closed his eyes as Suiko-san settled a crown on his brow.

“Rise, Ushijima Satori, first of his name, lord of the citadel, queen of Shiratorizawa.”

***

Once they had been crowned, they scattered coins as they walked back to the castle to bring generosity and prosperity to their marriage and reign. Children scrambled for them, and Wakatoshi was sure he saw Tomoko among them.

He scooped Satori into his arms when they reached the threshold, another tradition. It was lucky for one partner to carry the other across the threshold for the first time after they were married.

“I still say I could’ve carried you,” Satori said, though he seemed happy enough to loop his arms around Wakatoshi’s neck.

“I’m sure you could’ve,” Wakatoshi agreed. He was still learning to read Satori, but he’d figured out how to tell when his husband was teasing, at least.

The people of the village were invited to the celebration after, which meant it was a lot less proper than it could have been. Satori seemed happier that way, and Wakatoshi had to admit he was as well. It was more fun this way.

They took the first dance, both as a couple and as king and queen. Other couples soon joined them, and even his mother and Tendou-san – Hanae, she’d insisted he call her Hanae – were there dancing together.

After the first dance, with the slow music that gave him plenty of time to stare at Satori – he was so beautiful, dress making his skin look like flower petals and his hair in curls around his face – the musicians picked up the pace.

Satori stifled a laugh when he looked around them.

“I thought Eita couldn’t dance,” he said. Wakatoshi looked over to where Eita was twirling Umi, who’d made it back in time for the wedding.

“I said he didn’t bother to learn the rules of etiquette, not that he couldn’t dance,” Wakatoshi told him. It was nice to see everyone having so much fun, dancing like it was a village festival instead of the wedding of a monarch.

Satori seemed to content to just stay pressed to his side, rather than spending more time on the dance floor, though he did leave a few times when dances were requested of him. He was dancing with Hanae-san when Wakatoshi’s own mother approached him for a dance.

“He’s good for you,” she said, watching the mother and son pair across the hall from them. “He’s good for this kingdom. I’m sorry I ever doubted him.”

“You were just trying to protect everyone,” Wakatoshi told her. He’d already forgiven her, as Satori had.

The food was modest, but fresher than they’d become used to as everything came back to life after the snowmelt. Satori was particularly taken by the apples, which apparently didn’t grow much down in Seijoh.

It was late in the night by the time everyone was finally filtering out, and Wakatoshi and Satori could make their leaves. They held hands as they walked from the hall, making their way up to Wakatoshi’s room, which they now both shared.

Wakatoshi was still coming to grips with the fact that Satori was his husband now, and by tomorrow morning, they would each have the other’s bite mark on their necks. They would claim each other tonight.

“I love you,” he told Satori, closing the door behind him. Satori smiled, soft and hazy in the candlelight.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll just be adding a short epilogue after this checking in with them later and also I want to introduce at least one of their daughters.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: a baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fic is over! Meet their first daughter, Rina!

_Four years later_

Satori groaned as a wail interrupted his sleep.

“I’ve got her, I’ve got her,” he sighed as he felt Wakatoshi start to stir. There was no point in both of them getting up. Rina would be hungry, and there was little Wakatoshi could do to help with that.

He loved his daughter, and he knew it took a long time for babies to start sleeping through the night, but he really wanted sleep. He felt dead sitting up. Wakatoshi was blinking at him sleepily, apparently with no intention of closing his eyes while Rina was up.

“I feel bad making you deal with queenly duties,” Satori slurred. Gods, was he tired.

“You’re the one she needs more,” Wakatoshi said quietly, cradling Rina’s head as she settled from screams to hiccups. “Besides, our mothers are helping me.”

Satori snorted at that. Their mothers were the only reason he was getting through any of this. Suiko-san had started to take over queenly duties again while he cared for his infant daughter, giving Wakatoshi much more time to spend with both of them. His own mother was helping her, both of them not quite used to active duty anymore.

They were good friends, although it was typical for an omega who’d lost their mate to form close platonic relationships rather than new romantic ones, and Satori doubted his mother would have been able to resist latching on to Suiko-san anyway. They’d both been overjoyed when he’d announced he was pregnant.

He was surprised at how easy it had been. Even with only having heats once a year, he’d become pregnant with Rina as soon as he and Wakatoshi had decided they were ready for her.

Satori thought she looked like Wakatoshi, but Wakatoshi insisted she looked more like Satori. Her eyes seemed to be settling into the same red as Satori’s, but her hair was growing out auburn. Their mothers told them she was a mix of the two of them.

“Is this ever going to get easier?” Satori asked, finally getting Rina to his chest and stopping her cries.

“She’ll start to sleep through the night soon,” Wakatoshi parroted back what their mothers had told him. “Before you know it, she’ll be crawling around and getting into trouble.”

“I can only imagine.”

They were silent then, Satori shifting to lean back into Wakatoshi’s chest as Rina finished breastfeeding. He was already falling asleep again, and the more comfortable position nearly lulled him back under. Wakatoshi laid him down carefully and took Rina from his arms, probably putting her back in her cradle, though Satori couldn’t be bothered to open his eyes to check.

Wakatoshi settled back in beside him, pulling him close.

“She’s going to be a great queen someday, just like her mother,” Wakatoshi whispered to him.

“What if she wants to be king instead?” Satori was more than half asleep.

“Then I’ll teach her everything she needs to know,” Wakatoshi promised. “Go back to sleep.”

Satori did, lulled by the embrace of his mate and the sleep of his daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom fic's over I'll see y'all in April with the Semishira story.


End file.
